Summer Wind

Norfolk to Annapolis

Leaving Norfolk Harbor, USS Wisconsin, Nauticus

Friday May 14th, 2010 Portsmouth Basin - Shortly before 8 am we said our good-byes to Bud and Elaine and headed out of the Portsmouth Basin. Our destination this morning was Deltaville, VA. It was a grey, and windy morning and we knew were not going to get the 1-2 foot seas that NOAA was predicting. However they were supposed to be north winds which meant they'd be on our nose which we don't mind. Left the Elizabeth River and the Navy were up and very active, various 'US warships' were coming and going. We entered the Chesapeake and found a rocky-rolly situation but manageable. Early afternoon we tied up at Dozier's Regatta Point Marina. They are a great marina with many amenities such as a laundry room, spa like showers, pool and a loaner car to go into the small town for West Marine and groceries. Then when all your work is done, they have great rockers on the porch that over look the marina, where you can rock and relax.Talk about making the Captain and Admiral both happy!! We took advantage of the loaner car and visited the little town. That evening we had dinner aboard the boat and settled down for the night.

A Peaceful Place to relax

View from the porch

Saturday May 15th , Dozier Regatta Point Marina - Do we stay or do we go? There were circular weather fronts out there making a mess of the Chesapeake. NOAA predicted the winds to settle down later in the morning so we delayed our departure for a few hours. Again, NOAA didn't quite get it right, the 1-2 ft. seas were more like 4-5 when we entered the Chesapeake. Again the waves were on our nose so the Summer Wind handled them well, and so did we. Instead of making the trek all the way to Solomon's we diverted our destination to Olverson's Lodge Creek marina off the Yeocomico River which is just off the Potomac River. By the time we reached the Potomac we were ready to turn off. It just wasn't our type of fun. Shortly before 5pm we tied up at the marina and showered. They were having a "Take me out to the ball game celebration" and invited us to participate. We had an absolute blast and indulged in some great BBQ, also relaxed and forgot about our miserable afternoon! We did a little dancing, enjoyed watching the Siegel's perform their Bridge Tender song. Olverson's is a great marina which is based on fun, participation and family atmosphere. Their covered docks are decked out in lights of every color all put out by the cruisers. Not only that Freddy and Cass offer one free night to MTOA members!!! Thanks Freddy and Cass!!

Karen & Jeffrey singing Bridge Tender song

Jane, George, Freddy, Dick

Sunday May 15th - Olverson's Creek Lodge - We checked NOAA again to see what the weather was possibly going to do today. Nothing seemed to be concerning near us, so we headed out. Boy what a difference a day makes! The Potomac and Chesapeake were smooth like glass. Our destination today was Solomon's, MD an anchorage in Back Creek. The temperatures rose to 80 degrees, back in tees and shorts!! Early afternoon we dropped the hook and took the dinghy down. Headed into shore to walk around Solomons. We've stopped here several times so we were quite familiar with the town. Took the dinghy back and decided to venture around and see where the little creeks went, enjoyed the scenery with the homes and birds and tall trees, not to mention the great weather! It was warm enough to grill outside we enjoyed a glass of wine on the back deck and grilled. Checked NOAA before tucking in to confirm the weather.

Exploring Back Creek by Dinghy

Leaving the Summer Wind for a dinghy ride

Monday, May 16th-18th- Solomon's, MD - Rose very early around 5:30 am because there were chances of 'showers' early afternoon. Our plans were to head for Annapolis to enjoy dinner with Debby and the girls, so we wanted to beat the weather. The temperatures were not very pleasant,darn it,back into our long pants and jackets. There were several boats travelling with us and the chatter over the radio was the unpredictable weather, one day 80 degrees the next 60 at best. Our trip was rather uneventful until the last hour and the showers began to fall, oh well we tried to beat it. Normally we tie unto a mooring ball but neither one of wanted to ride in a wet dinghy. We tied up at the Annapolis City Dock wall and it was a very smart decision. Spent a couple of hours waiting for the rain to stop and then explored Annapolis for a good spot to eat dinner. There were many good choices and we found Maria's Sicilian Ristorante. However before walking through the town, the ice cream shop beckoned us,, yes that's right 65 degrees and we caved! After our indulgence we toured the historic little city of Annapolis. Later in the day Debby and the girls met us at the Summer Wind and we walked over to Maria's and pleasantly surprised by Chris! We had a delightful dinner!Thanks Flynn family!

The next day's weather was horrible, rain and wind just not the kind of weather for travelling. So we stayed put! Not a bad place to be stuck. During a weather lull Dick washed down the deck of the boat, yes even with all the rain it was much needed! In the afternoon we walked over to the Maryland State Capital building and found the Thurgood Marshall Memorial. The Naval Academy was skipped this time, but we'll be back to explore another time. What an amazing history can be found in Annapolis. That evening we settled down to a nice hot pot of homemade chili for dinner aboard the Summer Wind.

Thurgood Memorial

The State Capital Building of Maryland

View from Ego Alley

The Captain Expressing his feelings about the weather!

Alligator River Marina, NC - Norfolk, VA

The Last 50 miles on the ICW

Monday May 10th - Alligator River Marina - Early Monday morning NOAA said the winds were supposed to have subsided. Normally we check weather conditions before we leave but we started to prepare our boat to leave the marina. Bud walked over to us and told us that he had heard from another cruiser and it was still blowing in the sound. The waves had not settled yet. We thanked Bud and postponed our trip for a few hours. Everyone was itching to get underway. Finally we were able to head out and there was a mass exodus of boats leaving the marina. The trip was a little choppy at first but settled down.

Our destination today was the Midway Marina in Coinjock. From the Alligator River marina, you can go either the Dismal Swamp route or the Virginia Cut. In the fall we had traversed the swamp, so this time we took the Virginia Cut.Diamond Girl went the Dismal Swamp route. Late afternoon we tied up at the marina. The dockmaster told us that Crabby's was normally closed on Mondays but if enough people were interested, the owner would open. Well we said count us in! That evening we met Judy and Dave who were travelling on a Sea Ray, Karen and Jeff Siegel also joined us for dinner and we had a great time! The Best Conch Fritters ever!

Judy & Dave, Karen & Jeffrey, US at Crabby's

Tuesday May 11th- Coinjock, NC - Even though the sailboat behind us said they would try to be quiet when they departed, their engine woke us at 6:30 in the morning. Not being able to go back to sleep we arose and headed out. The trip to Great Bridge was uneventful and we made great timing through the three bridges. Today we were going to try a different docking spot. It's a free dock in between the Great Bridge bridge and the Great Bridge lock. Through word of mouth from other cruisers, we heard this was a really neat spot to stop for the night. After we tied up we went to explore in hopes that we can find a place for Dick to get a much needed haircut. Luckily we found a great salon and for $13 Dick got a wonderful haircut. We did a little fresh food shopping as well and enjoyed a lovely evening aboard the boat.

Spring is in the Air

Looking toward Great Bridge Lock
from the dock

The Captain hamming it up in the lock

Wednesday May 12th - 14th- Great Bridge Lock - Shortly before 8am we untied the lines and entered the Great Bridge Lock. Our destination this morning was Portsmouth, VA. We made great timing with the lock and bridges. However mother nature was stirring things up with gusty winds. The Summer Wind needed fuel, water and a pump out so we stopped at Ocean Marine and filled the diesel tanks at $2.61/gallon. Dick needed a Pro-Time and a Quest Diagnostics was within walking distance from the city basin. There was a couple watching us come into the basin and realized we really could use a hand. The winds were blowing us away from the wall and making things tough to tie up. No sooner were we tied up when Diamond Girl pulled into the basin. We helped them tie up and then headed out for Dick's appointment. After Dick's appointment we decided to explore the Portsmouth Lightship and Naval Museum, very interesting. Can you imagine the responsibility of being on a floating lighthouse? That evening Barbara and Sam Shakespeare came to visit us at the Summer Wind. Bud and Elaine joined us for happy hour but then had plans to go see a movie. That evening we enjoyed a lovely dinner with Sam and Barbara at Bruttis a very wonderful restaurant. As we were dining the heavens opened up.. a sign of what was coming. Thanks Sam and Barbara for a great time!

Portsmouth Lightship

A Monument for the Confederates

NOAA had small craft advisory on the Chesapeake Bay with winds 15-20 kts for Thursday. So we decided one more day in the basin didn't sound so bad. By now our basin has 7 boats that aren't moving, oh well. A day of adventure exploring Norfolk sounded great to us so off to the ferry. No we didn't go on the outside deck, brrrrrrrrrrr too wet and windy but the sights were still spectacular. The dry docks had an aircraft carrier and a trimiran type fast ship. Before exploring the museum we enjoyed a lovely lunch at the D'egg restaurant. The owner came over and immediately said "Your boaters right?" He started talking about boating and how much he wanted to do what we were doing. Our adventure today took us to the MacArthur Memorial museum, right in the heart of Norfolk, amazing life story. After the museum we walked over to the Nauticus museum and explored their naval museum. The Battleship Wisconsin is no longer free, its now part of the Nauticus museum.
We took the ferry back to the boat and relaxed for the evening! Boy were we tired!!

Norfolk Naval Dry Docks

Bud, Barbara, Sam, Dick, Elaine
enjoying Happy Hour aboard the Summer Wind

Alligator/Pungo Canal

Friday May 7th - 10th - Pungo River Anchorage - NOAA had been correct with the winds coming from the north and if it continued to be right the winds were going to increase in the afternoon. We had decided an early morning start was best and we weighed anchor. The other boats must have checked the weather because everyone was up early getting under way. Our destination today was the Alligator River Marina which is the only spot to stop before crossing the Albemarle Sound.

The trip today took us up the Alligator/Pungo Canal. It's a 21 mile, man made canal that is approximately 50-70 feet wide. The banks are lined with cypress swamp and pine and again the water is very dark. When going down this canal you must remain in the middle of the canal because there are big tree stumps along the banks and can make for a really bad day. Things have improved since a few years ago because the dead and fallen trees used to go out into the middle of the canal and it was treacherous traversing.

Cypress Swamp and Grassy Marsh

Fallen trees along the banks

Mile Marker 100 on the ICW

The Captain at his best

Wind and waves building on the Alligator River

We turned off the canal and headed up the Alligator River and found the winds piping up, waves were building 2-3 feet which the Summer Wind and the Captain handled well. After the Alligator River bridge we turned left and headed for the marina. This brought the waves on our beam and for the short distance into the basin we rocked and rolled! Shortly after we were tying up we watched Diamond Girl do the same rolly entry. The marina is basically a gas station/greasy spoon but Miss Wanda provides showers, washer (cold water wash only)/dryer, a boaters lounge with wi-fi, and a tv with one pre-programmed volume only.

Friday evening our friends Mike and Jane Ross made a trip from Manteo to come visit us aboard the Summer Wind for happy hour. That evening they took us to Manteo for dinner at T &A's and then we went downtown for the first friday night event. For those that have not been to Manteo its a unique place with quaint shops and on the Friday night events there is food,wine and music in the streets. It's quite a lot of fun! One of the interesting things we came across was the Marshes light on the boardwalk, a replica of a screwtop light that used to sit out in the sound. We topped the evening off with wonderful ice cream and a sad farewell to Mike and Jane. Thanks Mike and Jane we had a great time!!

One night turned into three nights at the Alligator River Marina. Mother nature was whipping up the winds to 30kts now coming out of the South East. This would have made terrible crossing on the Albemarle Sound. This really wasn't so bad, we were protected in the marina and enjoyed the evening gathering of the cruisers in the boaters lounge.

Marshes Light, Manteo, NC

Watching the Hummingbirds

Jane & Mike, US

The winds have finally subsided!