In Baltimore until after July 4th!

It's been awhile since I've updated the blog since we're in the slip now. We've enjoyed having family and friends visit - my cousin from Pennsylvania and my friend Melinda from the River Rat Yacht Club. We've also enjoyed being able to visit our friends from "Gypsy Too", another Hunter 420 whom we met in New Bern years ago.

Canton and Fells Point (both part of Baltimore) literally have pubs and little restaurants on every street corner. We've tried quite a few :-) and have had some wonderful fare. Our favorite so far has been "Speakeasy" where my cousin had a shrimp with pasta dish that I couldn't pronounce yet alone spell, I had stuffed shrimp with lump crab and Chris had some sort of chicken dish with a wonderful sauce.

Kathy & Roger aboard Talisman (out of New Bern) came in last Thursday as well as my friend Melinda from the River Rat Yacht Club up on the Pungo River. We all walked around the downtown area of Canton and decided upon "Claddah", the Irish Pub around the corner. A wonderful meal with lots of wine was enjoyed by all.

Chris & I also enjoy walking down to the next marina where they have a tiki bar with live entertainment every weekend and best of all, where wine is $3 for a full glass!

We were walking the docks last night when we realized that the sky was a "funny" purple color and the clouds were starting to really roll. This marina has 560 slips and we were sitting at the end of C dock by the pool. Our slip is fairly far away from there so we decided that we'd better get the move on by to our boat. By the time we approached our pier, the wind had picked up to about 35 kts. and the last 25 yards, we RAN! We got aboard just on time before the skies opened up - we were rocking and rolling in the slip for sure!

My plan is to rent a car tomorrow and travel to Pennsylvania to see my "Aunt Bunnie" who turns 90 this year. It's only about a 2 hour drive and Enterprise has deals on cars. While I'm this close, it would be a shame not to capitalize on this opportunity.

For the 4th of July, we will be on the McClintik, a tug built in 1932 owned by "Captain Tug and Ruth" whom we have befriended. The McClintik was the last quarantine boat ever built and he has restored her to a beautiful floating home complete with a fireplace with mermaid andirons and mermaid stained glass art (so I'm in love with that). They were in New Bern for a few months at the same marina with Long Gone.

We wish you all a wonderful 4th of July!!! Donnie and Vick - stop procrastinating and throw off those dock lines!!!!! We'll meet you in Norfolk!!!!!

Sightseeing in Baltimore - June 20 2008

The day before yesterday, Chris and I walked to downtown Baltimore (about a 45 minute walk) to see the Baltimore Aquarium. It was WONDERFUL. We started out with a 3-D movie (complete with silly glasses), then onto the dolphin show and then walked through all the exhibits. We were there at 10 am and stayed until about 3:00 pm until our feet started to protest and then began the walk back to Canton (where the Anchorage Marina is located). There are so many little bars and restaurants to choose from. We stopped at "The Greene Turtle" and had a couple of burgers while sitting outside on their cafe' sidewalk.

Yesterday our friends (Henry and Jan) that live aboard their Hunter 420 here in Baltimore (Gypsy Too) were kind enough to take us in their new Prius (gotta love 40-60 miles per gallon) to a big Target store and a GREAT wine store (they had anything and everything you ever wanted or needed). Next was onto Home Depot and Lowes as Chris wants to install an anchor washdown. It would have been great to have one on the way up. Henry has already installed one so volunteered to "supervise" :-)

Today was boat cleaning and filter cleaning day as my cousin and boyfriend are visiting from Pennsylvania tomorrow and we wanted the boat to be as clean as can be! Hopefully the weather will hold for us and we can go out on the river for a sail tomorrow. Tonight we're going to meet Henry and Jan to try the restaurant located across the street called "Austin Grille" - it comes highly recommended.

We miss all of you! Keep the emails coming!!!!

We're in Baltimore, MD - June 16, 2008

We arrived in Baltimore about noon today after a great sail up from Annapolis. And we got to turn OFF the motor and actually SAIL up the Bay and into the Patapsco River! WOW! We clipped right along at a little over 6 kts.

We were at the Annapolis City docks for the past 2 nights, right across from Pusser's Bar so got to enjoy all the live steel drum music and great musicians playing on their dock every night. Also the nightly "boat parade", a steady stream of every type of boat imaginable cruised past our transom--Fountains, SeaRays, trawlers, and of course, sailboats.

My old catamaran sailing buddy, Steve, met us and introduced us to the bars in the "Maritime Republic of Eastport" - across the bascule bridge from Annapolis. I loved Eastport even more than I love Annapolis - so quaint with many restored houses and the bars and restaurants were ALL ABOUT sailboats. We took the water taxi over to a local restaurant called "Davis's" for blackened fresh grouper and crabcakes, then onto the Boat House Bar and then finally to another bar that I can't even remember the name! We all walked back to boat in the rain but by then we just didn't care! :-)

We're at the Anchorage Marina outside of Fells Point with a grocery store across the street and a POOL which is located at the end of "C" dock overlooking the river - kind of neat actually. There are gas grills out there along with a little "party cottage". We're here until after the 4th of July as the fireworks display here is supposed to be one of the best in the country. Ft. McHenry is across the river where the Star Spangled Banner was penned so they take Independence Day seriously around here! We can take the Water Taxi for $5/day anywhere we want to go - to the Baltimore Inner Harbor or further up the river. Fells Point is no shrinking violet either though with many shops and restaurants.

Right now it's raining cats and dogs so instead of grilling tonight, it may have to be stir fry. Cruising is all about not having any plans at all, we've discovered. It's a "fly by the seat of your pants" kind of living.

Friday 6/13/08 - South River, Selby Marina, Maryland

Well, it was indeed Friday the 13th. As Chris pulled up the anchor, he attempted to shower it with bay water from the bucket (man, we really need an anchor washdown). The line to the bucket broke and it promptly sunk. We were “true cruisers” today. We left the anchorage at 6:30 am to pull into a dock and use their water to hose down the boat and anchor before the dockmaster got to work at 8:00 am. We then filled up with fuel ($4.40/gallon) further down the “alley” and were on our way. We “intended” to anchor in South River tonight in Selby Bay. It was a glorious downwind sail today with cooler temps and Long Gone surfed her heart out at nearly 7 kts. up the Bay. “Aurora” went to the antique boat show in St. Michaels but we couldn’t get a slip and we figured the anchorages were so small that it would be packed, so we continued further north. We arrived here about 4:30, tried putting down the hook in Selby Bay, but the anchor kept dragging. This is a really shallow area and there was already a sailboat anchored and not much room for another. The “marina” near the anchorage was very old and the dockmaster saw our dilemma gestured us over and offered us the fuel dock for the night for $30! Cool! He’s Dutch, had sailed across the ocean in his steel sailboat, met a woman from the US in the Virgin Islands and stayed in the US (see, another story). Anyway, we are in for the night with AIR CONDITIONING (I’m in heaven). Tomorrow is a short hop to Annapolis and we have a slip reserved for 2 nights in Petrini’s Shipyard (beyond the bascule bridge across from downtown proper). It’s $2/ft. – very reasonable for Annapolis. Can’t wait to find a nice restaurant and perhaps a friendly guitar player who will indulge our quest for live music (where are you Dave?????)

Thursday, 6/12/08 - Solomons Island Anchorage off Mill Creek

Position: N 38 º019.942 W 076º26.645’
We had heard wonderful things about Solomons Island and were anxious to see it. It was indeed beautiful and our boat buddy from Ocracoke, “Aurora” had a slip there. We had intended originally to stay 2 days since we thought that with all the boats and all the marinas, there had to be bars, restaurants, entertainment and the like. There were a few restaurants but no entertainment was scheduled anywhere. We took an after dinner dinghy ride down Mill Creek to gaze at all the lovely waterfront houses. There was a couple fishing from their own pier. They invited us over for margaritas but we had our own wine so we sat and talked a while. They were on their way over to the tiki bar and we agreed to meet them there later. We dinghied over and spent about an hour with them hearing their story. To me, this has been the best part of the trip – meeting folks with “stories”. After a Bahama Mama, this tired crew wanted to get back to the boat to turn on the anchor light before it was totally dark.

Wednesday, 6/11/08 - Sandy Point Anchorage - Great Wicomico River

Position: N 37 º49.381 W 076º18.727’
We left Dozier’s Regatta Marina and it was WINDY and of course, right on the nose. It was not predicted to be a steady 22 kt. but it certainly was. Our destination was the St. Mary’s River off the Potomac but after fighting wind and rolling waves for 5 hrs. and getting nowhere near our destination, we pulled out the trusty Chesapeake Guide and the chart and found an anchorage off the Great Wicomico River. The Sandy Point Anchorage was peaceful and tranquil. After dinner of Pesto pasta with blackened chicken and listening to a classic rock station on the FM satellite, it was time for bed.

Reggatta Bay Marina - Deltaville, VA - 6/9/08

We cruised north today and had intended to anchor in Fishing Bay along with “Northern Reach” but about 20 miles from York, the autopilot “bit the dust”. The 1” diameter bolt sheared off on the pivot arm. We had this problem years ago when the boat was new so we ducked into the Rappahannock River where there is a Hunter dealer. We are at Doziers Regatta Marina in Deltaville, VA. These are the folks that publish the Waterway Guides and tonight they hosted a wine and cheese party for the transients where we all met one another. Such a nice idea! They also have a pool so the first order of business tonight after getting securely tied was jumping in to get cool. Chris repacked the stuffing box while I did laundry. It’s amazing how many dirty clothes we had acquired in these temperature.

Sunday, 6/8/08 - Touring Yorktown

Sunday 6/8/08 – Today we came out from the Sarah Creek Anchorage and checked into the River Landing Marina on the south side of the York River. We wanted to fill up the tanks with water since the 100 degree weather has forced us into taking about 2 showers per day! And…we especially wanted A/C for tonight. We took the Yorktown Historical Shuttle to the Visitor’s Center and then jumped on a complimentary bus to Historic Williamsburg. It was really wonderful, but the 100 degree heat and humidity put a bit of a crimp on things. We were with the crew from Northern Reach, the boat from Toronto that we met in Coinjock. The crew from Wilde Matilda stayed behind in Norfolk. We were all hot and thirsty after walking around the “town” for over 2 hours so we found a small bar and shared a sandwich and a couple of very cold Coronas. Tomorrow is a travel day hopefully to the Jackson Creek anchorage on the Piankatank River. We’re having problems locating hot spots for Wi-Fi so the blog gets updated only occasionally. When we reach “civilization” we need to locate a Wi-Fi extender as many boats have while they are cruising.

Saturday, 6/7/08 - Sarah Creek Anchorage

Saturday 6/7/08 – Anchorage: Position: N 37 degrees 15.41’ W 076 degrees 28.468’
We finally left Norfolk. We had the BEST time. Seeing the boat “parade” with over 700 participants (yup, seven HUNDRED) with 6 tall ships was well worth the wait. We spent the first 3 days at the Waterside Marina and then moved out to the Hospital Point Anchorage across the river. For 2 nights we swung on the hook and partied with Wilde Matilda and Northern Reach and it was so much fun. The Harbor Fest in Norfolk is quite a show and we actually liked Norfolk a LOT. Seeing all the naval vessels parked in Norfolk was quite impressive as well as all the container ship terminals.

We traveled 30 miles north on the Chesapeake and then 15 miles up the York River.
We had heard that there was a “free” dock in Yorktown, but it turned out that while you may park there for a small fee during the day, staying overnight is absolutely NOT free at $1.75 per foot. Because we arrived here fairly late, we didn’t think it was worth paying the money so both boats anchored in Sarah Creek. We took a dinghy ride before riding over to the York Yacht Harbor for dinner. It was simply too hot to cook. We cranked up the genset just before retiring and cooled the boat down since it was so uncomfortable.

We're still in Norfolk - June 3, 2008

The Harbor Fest is this weekend with the tall ships and we've decided to stay. We have to be out of the marina by the weekend as it's full so will drop the hook at Hospital Point across the way. The Norfolk police have been diving all day checking out the undersides of all the boats in the marina plus the ones anchored out. This is a big deal for Norfolk and security is tight. Chris wanted them to take a brush with them and give Long Gone a quick scrub as long as they were down there. Not!!!

Today we toured the USS Wisconsin, a battleship parked at the Nauticus Museum. It was really a great experience. Their exhibit is quite extensive and the ship is HUGE. We ate breakfast out at D'Egg - a local diner here within walking distance. The crew of "Northern Reach" went with us and then Chris, Jim and Les (from "Wilde Matilda") went and did chores. The fitting from our propane hose blew so that was Chris' chore for the day. It's repaired now and the cost was incredible...it was free. Now THAT's unusual in this day and time.

The wind is reported to be 20 mph in the AM with thunderstorms and rain so we'll stay in the marina again tomorrow and then leave Thursday morning to anchor out. We have a couple of options when we leave here. I want to go up the York River to see the battlefields of Yorktown and possibly even West Point. There's another anchorage possibility at Kitopeke on the other side of the bay. It's a protected anchorage formed by the sinking of 9 WW II battleships. Sounds kind of cool too. We'll take a poll to see what the rest of the boats have in mind and then make a decision. We've enjoyed being part of "gang" of 3...it's fun having stories swapped every night.

Norfolk's symbol is the mermaid so needless to say, I'm in heaven. I've taken a photo of just about every mermaid in the city - there are 150 of them! They're AWESOME!!!! I even found some mermaid plates to buy! Chris said that we must leave before I go broke buying mermaid stuff. Sheesh......

We're in Great Bridge, VA

After a wonderful meal in Coinjock last night, we sat around with our boat neighbors from Toronto who are heading home after their 5 year journey and drank wine (hard to believe, I know). Today was a "parade" of boats heading north and we are tied up at the FREE docks just south of the Great Bridge Lock. It's a great place since there's a grocery store within walking distance. We stocked up on some fresh fruit today as we were low and treated ourselves to a big Subway sandwich which will serve us well through dinner.

Our plan is to catch the first opening of the bridge and lock in the morning and head for Norfolk. We've reserved a slip at a marina called Waterside Marina which is supposedly a "mini Inner Baltimore Harbour". The Harbourside Festival is this weekend in Norfolk complete with tall ships and we'd love to stay for that but word has it that slips are $5.00 per ft. so while we're there tomorrow, we'll scout for an anchorage. We just missed the Pirate Festival there as it ended today which would have been a fun time too. Here's a photo of the "parade" going through one of the 3 bridges heading north. The boat in the lead is "Northern Reach", the boat that we've been traveling with today. "Wilde Matilde" docked here tonight also so after they finish their grocery store run and we all take much needed showers, it's cocktail hour.