We had a pretty bumpy night last night. The wind was from the south and our anchorage was very exposed. Several boats dragged anchors; fortunately Salt’nLight held firm. On retrieval of the anchor, we had scooped up a big chunk of clay. It took ten minutes with the hose to clear the anchor of it’s giant scoop of clay and shells.
The trip up the Naticoke was an easy one. The river is wide and deep, at least as far as Vienna.
Dinner tonight at Millis, a few blocks from the waterfront. On seeing the place you’d be a little suspect, but everything was excellent from the crab balls, crab dip to the crab imperial. Maryland is proud of their crab!
Russ Brinsfield, the mayor of Vienna, joined us at dinner and told of the strategic planning to maintain Vienna’s quaint, small town feel. He has a passion for preservation of rural surroundings. He has a PhD from the University of Maryland and works there still. He also farms and serves as mayor, the latter gleaning a very meager $100 per month. Guess they felt like they had to pay him something. His impact on the community is obvious. Vienna is very blessed to have him.
Tomorrow we’ll take a skiff further up river to see the wildlife. We’ve been assured we’d see eagles. Time to break out the big camera lens.
Cruise From: Fishermans Bay Achorage, near Naticoke River, MD
Starting Lat/Lon: N38.2413 / W76.0349
Navigation Started: 6/2/2009 8:23:20 AM
Cruise To: Vienna, MD- Naticoke River, Chesapeake East Shore
Ending Lat/Lon: N38.4819 / W75.8239
Navigation Stopped: 6/2/2009 11:48:13 AM
Time Underway: 03:24:52.3593750
Engine Hours – Start: 230.61 / End: 234.10 / Run Time: 3:29:24
Generator Hours – Start: 159.99 / End: 163.80 / Run Time: 3:48:36
We awoke to a beautiful sunrise at Dowry Creek, well actually I awoke. Patti slept through this one.
Today was a long run. We stopped at Alligator Creek Marina and bought 100 gallons of fuel at $1.99/gal. Not too bad a price considering regular gasoline is 25 cents higher. The dogs got a much needed break, then it was back on the boat for the last leg of this trip which included crossing the Albemarle Sound to Elizabeth City.
I had heard many times you need to pick your window for crossing the sound. Early morning is best, but our timing was such that a mid-afternoon crossing would be necessary. The wind was picking up and a little apprehension set in, but we pressed on knowing we could turn back if things looked to rough. We encountered 2-3 foot waves which the stabilizers easily damped out so our passage to Elizabeth city was an easy one. Docking at Elizabeth City was another story.
The Elizabeth City docks are nice and free. However, not many of the slips could accommodate a boat with a 17.5 foot beam. The wind continued to increase over the afternoon and it was blowing from the southeast right up the sound into the docks. With the bow into a very rough chop, we considered our limited options and backed into slip. With help from people on shore, Patti got our lines secured.
The dogs were ready for a break, but the swim platform was a good 3-4 feet from the stub pier and getting Roxy off was going to be a trick. She’s much to heavy to carry and missed on her first and second attempts. After two salt water baths, we finally got her ashore. To make a long story short, we met the Elizabeth City bridge tender on the docks and he clued us in to a better docking situation which afforded a much easier off loading of pets and people.
It turns out our two new friends we met in Oriental had just arrived at Elizabeth City. We had dinner together then back to the boat for a good nights rest. Tomorrow, the Dismal Swamp!
- Cruise From: Dowry Creek Marina, NC
- Starting Lat/Lon: N35.5329 / W76.5354
- Navigation Started: 5/26/2009 7:50:23 AM
- Cruise To: Elizabeth City Docks, NC
- Ending Lat/Lon: N36.2982 / W76.2184
- Navigation Stopped: 5/26/2009 6:24:40 PM
- Time Underway: 10:01:16
- Engine Hours – Start: 193.92 / End: 204.39 / Run Time: 10:27:58
- Generator Hours – Start: 158.53 / End: 158.53 / Run Time: 0:00:00
Dowry Creek Marina has pretty good docks, a ships store and a swimming pool. It is located in a small development also called Dowry Creek with nice water front homes, however there are many more empty lots than lots with homes so the success of the venture is questionable. The marina has a loaner vehicle so we could make a trip to the grocery store. We took a quick tour through Elizabeth City, got our groceries, then back to the marina.
This bottle tree stands next to the marina. I’m not sure of the significance, but there’s some connection between the spirits of those who have passed and the bottles. The notion of our eternal spirit, that which remains once the physical has expired, is strong and this notion finds its expression in many forms in the mind of man. As you might expect, we suggest exploring God’s Word for a clear understanding of that which eludes our limited human notions.
- Cruise From: Oriental City Docks
- Starting Lat/Lon: N35.0249 / W76.6956
- Navigation Started: 5/25/2009 7:14:28 AM
- Cruise To: Dowry Creek Marina, NC
- Ending Lat/Lon: N35.5329 / W76.5354
- Navigation Stopped: 5/25/2009 1:00:44 PM
- Time Underway: 05:45:44
- Engine Hours – Start: 187.83 / End: 193.92 / Run Time: 6:05:20
- Generator Hours – Start: 158.19 / End: 158.53 / Run Time: 0:20:17
Mom had a few rough weeks in the hospital but is doing much better and we’ve decided to continue our trip. Unfortunately David’s time off has come and gone so Patti and I are setting out on our own. We traveled to Morehead City yesterday, provisioned the boat, and then joined our good friends Susie and Travis Wilkey for dinner at their cottage on Atlantic Beach.
Our trip to Oriental was uneventful. The weather was beautiful, there was little traffic to contend with, and the Neuse River was flat. Just as we approached Oriental, I decided to check out the city docks. Several sail boats were leaving and there was a shot at getting a spot. The right side of the pier was open and I swung the boat around for a stern in, starboard tie.
A ’sailor’ on the dock said to come bow in as it got shallow near the bulkhead. So around with the boat again and we put Salt’nLight bow in. It’s a good thing as the depth gauge confirmed very skinny water. I suspect we pushed a little mud aside as we finalized our docking.
I didn’t see it, but Patti said there were a number of locals at ‘The Bean’ which is just across the street from the city dock. Apparently upon completing my approach, they held up numbers ’scoring’ my docking. The numbers ranged from two to four which made no sense as my approach was good and Salt’nLight gently settled in. What I didn’t know was that they deduct a point for each use of the bow thruster – wish I had known the rules from the start. The low score stands.
The ’sailor’ on the dock was John Espisito and it turns out he’s also a trawler owner. He was on his eleventh trip on the ICW, this being the first on a sail boat. He bought the boat in Wilmington and was headed to Boston. The boat’s name was Tenacity. He had a friend on board to help with the trip. He was a very knowledgeable cruiser and I spent some time asking questions about the trip north.
- Cruise From: Morehead CIty Yacht Basin
- Starting Lat/Lon: N34.7218 / W76.7034
- Navigation Started: 5/24/2009 7:30:51 AM
- Cruise To: Oriental Town Dock
- Ending Lat/Lon: N35.0249 / W76.6956
- Navigation Stopped: 5/24/2009 10:04:51 AM
- Time Underway: 02:34:00
- Engine Hours – Start: 185.00 / End: 187.83 / Run Time: 2:50:00
- Generator Hours – Start: 158.19 / End: 158.19 / Run Time: 0:00:00
