Portsmouth...

We are now in the Hampton Roads area and that means big boats and lots of them. Navy and commercial vessels are common sites in this area but one thing that we aren't used to seeing is a cruise ship in dry dock. If you think these big boats look huge in the water, imagine seeing one in dry dock. Quite the site!

We began our tour of Portsmouth at the Lightship museum and the Maritime museum. A lightship is essentially a floating lighthouse that also doubled as a rescue vessel. I must believe this had to be one of the most boring occupations in the service as crews of 9-14 men per vessel would be dispatched for 2-4 months at a time with the responsibility of maintaining the light and only serving as a rescue vessel in times of need.

Spring is in full bloom in the area and that was evident as we walked the streets of the historic district and viewed the homes; blossoming flowers and trees in their fine greenery added to the beauty of the area.

It would be our last evening with friends on Charm, as they would be continuing there journey home and we would opt to do some bumming around the area. We chose a Pub which had good burgers, good beer and good prices. It would have been a perfect meal if not for the pickle incident......yes friends......you know what I'm getting at here. The Captain has a severe aversion to pickles and neglected to order his hamburger platter absent pickle. We realized after the order was placed but it was too late. The burger was plated with pickle and despite the waitress' removing the pickle from the plate before it reached the table, the Captain's plate had - yep you guessed it - 'essence' of pickle on the burger bun. Oh dear, if you can imagine Eeyore's sorry eyes and face you'd have a great description of the Captain.

Tomorrow, Norfolk.

The Admiral

4/28/2010

The Dismal Swamp...

The Dismal Swamp is one of the most beautiful legs of our journey. It is a 21 mile land cut that connects Albemarle Sound and the southern Chesapeake. Originally opened in 1805, it took over 12 years to hand dig the cut. Truly amazing.

We took our time as we traveled through the area The first evening we rafted off of Charm at the NC Visitor Center. Storms moved through the area so we spent the evening enjoying movies and grilling out.

The second evening we spent at Elizabeth's Dock - again rafted with Charm. We had high hopes of stopping at a local Mexican retaurant for dinner out but again more rain showers found us and we instead chose to stay aboard enjoying more movies and homemade pizza.

Our third day in the swamp began with breakfast with Robert. He is the Lockmaster at the Deep Creek lock. We enjoyed good conversation with Robert and other boaters before locking through and completing our Dismal Swamp voyage.

With time on our hands and good weather ahead we are opting to stay in Portsmouth for a day or two to enjoy the nautical history in the area.

The Admiral

4/26 - 4/28/2010

Elizabeth City...

With a major storm front expected, we were in a hurry to get to Elizabeth City and secure dock space at the town docks before the storm's arrival. The anchor was up at 5:50am - way too early for me - but the early start gave us a beautiful view of the sunrise.

By the time we passed under the Alligator River Bridge, the winds in the Abermarle Sound were picking up nicely so we hoisted the spinnaker for a great sail across the Sound. We sailed along at 7.5 knots making quick work of the 45 mile journey to Elizabeth City.

Once docked, the priority became laundry. Yes laundry!! We had somehow accumulated 5 loads of laundry and it was quite the challenge to drag it down to the laundromat about 1/2 mile away. With laundry accomplished it was time to treat ourselves to some fun so, with our friends on Charm, we went out for supper at a local seafood shop. Mmmmmm!!

Back at the boat, Tropical Breeze was capturing lots of glances from the many students and families who had gathered in the park where the boat was docked. It was prom night and it quickly became apparent that a tradition is to have prom photos taken at the park overlooking the river. It was quite a site - all the young people in dresses and tuxedos.

The storm which was to arrive overnight didn't. Instead we were greeted the next day to a brisk wind but plenty of sunshine. Given that we expected 30-40 knot winds with lots of rain, we gladly chose the alternative. So after a day of bumming about Elizabeth City and happy hour on board Tropical Breeze there was only one thing left to do - get the Captain his birthday blizzard. With all the challenges that January and February had brought us, we had never made it to Dairy Queen for Dave's birthday blizzard. I must say I was really beginning to tire of hearing about how deprived he was of his birthday treat so when we realized that their was a DQ within walking distance of the boat, we walked up and resolved the issue.

But yes, those of you who know Dave well also know that getting him his birthday treat was not going to stop him from yearning for more blizzards in the future. Even before he had finished his long awaited soft serve, he was already asking when he could expect his anniversary blizzard followed by his summer solstice blizzard etc.

Ahhhh life with the Captain always takes me in such sweet directions and that normally means to the nearest ice cream shop.

The Admiral

4/24 - 4/25/2010

PS. Thanks to Kathy on Charm for the photo of Tropical Breeze under sail.

Beaufort, NC...

From Southport, NC we continued northbound to Moorhead City. There we realized we were out of potatoes, tomatoes, fruit, orange juice, bread and were down to our last onion. So out came the bikes and we cycled off to the supermarket for provisions.

Without the threat of going hungry we traveled just a few miles further to Beaufort, NC. It was here that we met up with friends Jim, Kathy and Murphy again and went on a walking tour of the city. The top sites in Beaufort, NC are the Maritime Museum and the Burial Ground. At the museum we saw the head of a 2080 pound great white shark that was caught off Cape Fear in 1985. The shark was feasting off smaller sharks that had been caught by fisherman and in the process of its feeding frenzy managed to get itself caught up in the fishing lines. The museum displays only the head of the shark but it alone is intimidating enough! On a lighter side the museum also has the shell of a 20 pound lobster. Just one claw was enough to feed a family of four - well at least the Captain and I anyway.

From there we walked over to the burial ground and while I was originally a bit hesitant about walking through the cemetary, I have to admit it was quite interesting. Numbered markers were placed throughout the cemetary and a brochure informed us of the specifics of who the person was. There were men who fought in the revolutionary war - even a British officer who was buried standing up in salute of his home country. There were children who's graves were decorated with shells and children's toys. One young lady had died on a return trip from England with her father and rather than bury her at sea her father placed her corpse in a barrel of rum. Once she returned to the US, and her mother, the child was buried in the cemetary - still in the barrel of rum. Quite amazing!

Having seen Beaufort, it was time to continue on. We were up early with the intention of hoisting the anchor by 7:30 am. But whe we went to hoist the anchor we realized that no matter how much power we gave the engines we were moving nowhere! We were stuck - in the muck!! The wind had pushed us toward shore and the tide had dropped just low enough that we - a catamaran who draws less than 4 foot - were on the hard. How embarrassing!! Well Jim, Kathy and Murphy continued their journey. Meanwhile Dave and I decided to have a lazy morning with pancake breakfast and a movie. With the movie over we thought we could be on our way. Guess again - still stuck!! Fortunately, the tide was coming in more swiftly now and it was just another 15-20 minutes before we could be on our way. Thank heavens!

Fortunately, Jim, Kathy and Murphy took pity on us and slowly made their way up the ICW that day. This gave us the opportunity to catch up with them at the Bear Creek anchorage. But we were having such a good day that while in the anchorage we found the shoal and managed to get ourselves stuck again - fortunately only for a minute - before successfully dropping the hook.

Oh my what a day! Aground twice and three and a half hours on the hard! You can imagine that by the end of the day I was ready for a stiff drink!

The Admiral

4/20 -4/22/2010

PS Welcome to new readers Ed and Lois and Ed and Lynn. We hope you enjoy our journey.

Southport...

Our first stop in North Carolina was Southport. A fishing village, the town docks prominently display their fishing vessels and seafood restaurants. Further inland the community is built of mainly old homes (1850's - 1930's) which feature plaquards of what historic community figure lived in the residence originally. Many of the plaquards featured pilots who would guide ships safely in through Frying Pan shoals and the Cape Fear inlet.

We tied up to the free town dock, walked around town and enjoyed an excellent dinner at the Fishy Fishy Cafe which featured local seafood - flounder, scallops and oysters.

At low tide, Dave found a vessel - or what was left of it - long ago gone astray. We wondered if it would have benefited from the guidance of one of the local pilots. Perhaps not.

The Admiral

4/18 - 4/19/2010

Making More Tracks...

We left Fernandina and since, I confess, it has been a bit of a blur. In Georgia, we wound our way north on the rivers through the low lying marshes. Many boaters avoid Georgia because of its winding path and historically shallow waters. I find it serene. The boat traffic is lighter in Georgia so you can look across the vast marshlands and almost feel as if you are the only living soul for miles. That is, of course, with the exception of the bird life which adds to the peacefullness of it all. Frequently we see birds nests on the mile markers and I was finally successful in capturing a photo with a bird in his/her nest.

From there we crossed into South Carolina which I always equate with Charleston. Unfair I know because the state has so many other great things to offer. Yet for me, a favorite spot is Charleston. We didn't stay this time. We only stopped to pick up fuel and water. The mega dock was filled with mega sized boats this trip. A sailing monohull which had to be at least 120 foot long. A big power yacht at least 150 foot in length and then this little 80-90 foot sailing catamaran that Dave admired.

Despite our short Charleston stay, we were able to take in some practice runs of the US Navy's Blue Angels. They were flying overhead as we crossed Charleston Harbor oftentimes just a mere 100 foot above us. The roar of their engines deafening as they went by.

Then with a blink of an eye we were crossing the Sunset Beach Pontoon Bridge in North Carolina. We were happy to get through. The bridge has been closing periodically because of the extreme low tides that the area has been experiencing.

The journey continues.

The Admiral
4/11 - 4/17/2010

Fernandina Beach...

Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island is a new port of call for us and one we can't believe we hadn't stopped at before now. How enjoyable!

The downtown community is a historic district and we enjoyed a morning of walking up and down the streets with Jim, Kathy and our four legged friend Murphy - of course - taking in the splendor of the historic homes.

After a great day of touring it was once again time to head north. So after a morning stop at the Farmer's Market and another stop at Pattycakes Bakery for brownies - our third stop at the bakery in as many days - we would be on our way.

Or voyage would now continue on the Intracoastal Waterway as the winds had turned unfavorable to continue our journey on in the Atlantic.

The Admiral

4/9 - 4/10/2010

P.S. Dave, Shirley and Christopher - So glad to hear that Tiffany Rose will be enjoying the water for the summer. As you can see we finally made it to Fernandina - a port of call I know the three of you enjoyed. No, we will not be storing in Charleston this year. We've opted to head up to the Chesapeake for some Bay sailing before we bring our season to a close.