Quiet Destinations

Monday October 25 - 26TH- It was time to explore somewhere new. We heard so many great things about the James River, and decided to let our nomadic instincts take over. Early in the morning we untied the lines, and took a right turn heading up the James River. Richmond,VA would be the farthest we could travel up the river but our destination today was the River Rest Marina on the Chickahominy River. The James River twists and winds and narrows gradually. We came upon the James River reserve fleet which are rows of military vessels in the mothball stage waiting to be scrapped on mooring balls. Don't even think about getting near this area....

The trip up the river was another race with the weather. We could see fast moving fronts dumping rain from a distance. We entered the Chickahominy river and we discovered a winding narrow river with sparsely populated banks of homes , but there were forests of tall oak and maple trees just beginning their color change, mixed in with the natural green of pine. There were numerous duck blinds each unique in its design and empty thank goodness at the moment. However we did hear the odd gun shot going off in the distance,,, hmmmm.

 Late afternoon, we tied up at the River Rest Motel and Marina. Two dock hands were waiting to tie us up, the current runs 3-4 knots and can give cruisers quite an interesting welcome. The captain made docking look easy, and the dock hands were quite impressed that he was a single screw (engine). The dock master welcomed us, and told us the restaurant was closed Mondays, but on Tuesday it was open and worth the visit. He also warned us not to walk off the paved roads because it was grey powder season, (deer hunting : ( awwwww)

That evening we spent aboard the Summer Wind and just as dinner was being prepared that weather front came in full blast. There was a tremendous pounding of rain and then 5 minutes later, it stopped. As I(first mate) was down in the galley the captain exclaimed "OH MY! Look at that rainbow!" It was a huge, beautiful rainbow, out came the camera and pictures were snapped before it quickly disappeared. The picture just doesn't do it justice, the rainbow was amidst the dark sky and to the west was a pink sky with the setting sun, simply breath taking. Our second event of the night, we noticed a strobe light outside the windows, and wondering what or who was on the dock. Sure enough a big 42' Grand Banks was coming into the docks, and believe me it was pitch black. The captain of the GB didn't have such luck with his docking. After 3 attempts, side swiping the ends of the docks, and giving our boat a nudge, he finally made it in,,,, whew!

On our second day, the Captain decided to install the new float switch he purchased. The chore became a two man job. Finally a chance to get into the engine room and get my hands dirty! Sorry there aren't pictures because we were both 'knee deep' and busy.  That evening We did enjoy the "Blue Heron" restaurant and couldn't believe the offerings or the prices. It was a fantastic dinner!

Hampton Roads, VA

Saturday, October 23RD- 24TH-  Woke up and began getting ready to leave when we noticed the moon was setting.Shortly after 7am we untied and headed out into the Bay. The seas were relatively choppy, we were taking spray up to the bridge. NOAA was a little off on its prediction of wind speed. We were noticing winds over 10 knots and we were taking spray up to the bridge. The chatter on the radio were cruisers asking what the conditions were like further south. They were making decisions whether to just duck in or continue on for the day. After hearing reports of calmer seas further south, we continued on our track. Sure enough as we continued south, the winds seemed to calm down and it was a much more enjoyable trip.

As we were coming to Thimble Shoals which is at the mouth of the Bay and the inlet to Hampton Roads we noticed dozens of sailboats heading out for a sail. Soon we were pulling into Hampton City Docks and the captain docked with relative ease.
That evening as were showering we noticed that the shower didn't seem to be draining properly. Sure enough, the pump stopped working.The captain fiddled with the wires and thought he had things working when it stopped again. Sunday morning we went to the dock master to see what time the West Marine shuttle would be coming. She told us that wasn't happening until Monday. Well, a couple that were on the sailboat nearby said they were going to West Marine, would we willing to share a cab? We were thrilled and made plans to head to West Marine. The captain was able to find a switch for the pump.
That's how we met Judy and Stephen, isn't it great! They are planning on doing the Caribbean 1500 but only going to the Bahamas and they were provisioning their boat with necessities. Have a great sail and great to meet you both!

Fun in Lonely Deltaville

Wednesday October 20TH-22ND- Our travelling window was very narrow, if we didn't leave today there wouldn't be good weather for a few more days. NOAA was calling for light morning showers but deteriorating in the afternoon because seas would be building. So, we made plans to get up at sun up and beat the weather. Deltaville was going to be only 40 miles away which meant only 5 hours of travelling. Sure enough when we woke, the rain had already began so we took the cover off the window and planned to steer from below. We enjoyed fresh hot coffee below and we were nice and dry. However after a few hours the waves began to build. We were so happy to be off the Bay shortly after noon, because the seas were definitely getting uncomfortable.
Our stop today was the Regatta Point Marina. It's funny we always say there's nothing in Deltaville but we always have a great time. This time was no different, after checking -in the Captain came back excited and told me were going out for dinner and we would be treated to some dancing music, YEAH!! The restaurants pick up cruisers that are at the marinas because there isn't anything close by. We had a fantastic evening at Toby's, great food and we danced the night away to some great 50's - 60's music. It wasn't crowded so we had the dance floor mostly to ourselves. What a great evening!

Woke up the next morning to the winds howling and NOAA was right this time, the winds were increasing and the Bay would be treacherous. Oh well, we decided to do some laundry and provision the Summer Wind. The marina loans out cars they keep on hand for an hour or two and we made great use of that convenience. Interesting this little town has 2 West Marines and one was situated next door to the grocery store. So, the Captain said let's go in and see if we there's anything we need for the boat. Sure enough the Captain spotted "SPOT MESSENGER" and discovered there was $100 rebate and free carrying case. For those that don't know how SPOT works click on that black box on the top right of our blog. It can track our travels, and if we aren't within cell or radio communications, we can send out an SOS message if there is ever a need. Saying all that we're rarely out of radio frequency, but redundancy is a good thing on the boat. We have two radios on board, plus a handheld and a cell phone. We liked the thought that we can track exactly where we are, and we're hoping that the grandkids will be interested in following along. So, we decided to give it a try. Headed back to the boat with our goodies in hand and excited to be setting up our new 'toy'. So, give it a try check out where we are right at this moment.

That afternoon, there was a knock on the boat and we were invited to the porch deck for a wine and cheese gathering for the cruisers! How wonderful! So we joined in and met several cruisers, we love these gatherings.
Friday morning, we woke up and winds were again blowing and there were white caps visible. Didn't look like we would be travelling today either. Oh well, so we did a few chores aboard the boat and relaxed. Dick practiced his flute and there was a clapping at the door. One gal came over and told us it was wonderful and he inspired her to pull out her harmonica and learn how to play. Isn't that great??
 For a place where there is 'nothing' we always seem to have a great time! Checked the weather that night and it definitely looks good for Saturday!!!