Maneuvers -- OORAH!

November 3    Mile Hammock Bay Anchorage

Finally out of Morehead City under clearing skies and diminishing wind!  Time for a nice quiet? anchorage.  Mile Hammock Bay is a man made basin smack in the middle of Camp LeJeune military base.  We civilians can anchor there but are not permitted to go ashore.  

A pair of dolphins provided a proper escort as we made our way to the anchorage. 

A Coast Guard security detail rolled out the welcome mat, reminding us that military exercises would begin the following morning at 8 am and to plan our departure accordingly.  Meanwhile, the Coasties and marines provided a full afternoon's entertainment..............

Small vessels of all types launched from the ramp in the bay, landing craft,












                            Patrol boats,










And helos, OH MY!

Things settled down as darkness descended --- although by that time we'd been joined by 18 more boats!  Not exactly a "secluded" spot, but who could complain about this ending?

Weathered in

October 30 - November 2   Morehead City, NC

We reluctantly left River Dunes behind, heading further south down the coast to Morehead City Yacht Basin.  Very different atmosphere --- the marina is located on a main highway in a rather industrial looking area.  Because of the short docks, we had to "stern in" (back in) -- not an easy task with increasing winds and a current to contend with!

It is also a major port, including Navy ships like this one, the USS New York.  This battleship was made with 7.5 tons of steel recovered from the Twin Towers after 9-1-1.  She was in port in preparation for maneuvers with the Marines stationed at nearby Camp Lejeune.  More on that later...........

"Into each life some rain must fall"   Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A 2-night stay became 4 as rain moved in on Saturday along with relentless winds and COLD!   As usual, we made the best of it, working in walks into town where we found a coffee shop, fresh seafood, and a turtle print perfect for framing.

We also took advantage of the "courtesy?" car ($10 for 2 hours) to provision up at Walmart and get a little "Maxxonista" shopping in.




The town Chamber of Commerce clued us in on local bus service (the short bus) for a ride across the bridge to historic Beaufort.


Lots of history and a great little waterfront marina and shopping area made for an enjoyable afternoon.









The marina staff had organized a "boaters potluck" for Sunday afternoon.  So despite the weather, we met several other snowbirds making their way south.  We really can't complain too much..............



There are palm trees lining the walkway








And the dolphins are swimming along with us

So we'll turn on the heat and look for sunshine and calm winds tomorrow!

A Brief Respite

October 27 -29   River Dunes

We'd been moving steadily for the last week, so planned to spend 3 nights at River Dunes Marina near Oriental, NC.  What a perfect place to relax for a few days!

We took full advantage of the pool (first one that's been open), hot tub, club house screened porch with fireplace and just chilled!

They also provided a courtesy van, so we were able to venture into town for a little coffee shop and some great shopping at Nautical Wheeler -- even the guys found good stuff!  We just couldn't fit it all into one 2-hour trip, so we had to move grocery shopping to the following day.

This one gets 5 stars -- we'll be back!

Doin' the Swamp and more

October 22 - 26

Ah the Dismal Swamp -- one of 2 options to get to the Albermarle Sound going south on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).  Not nearly so dismal as the name implies, the advantage is the speed limit geared to our usual pace which means no "fast" power boats making huge wakes.  

The disadvantage is the crowd ............

There was a bit of a jam due to the windy weather, so we stopped at the halfway point at the Dismal Swamp Welcome Center overnight.  Another first --- this is both a boating stop AND a highway rest area AND a State Park.  

It was also our first rafting experience --- four deep and four long on the courtesy dock.  

             Where's Waterford?????

Out of the swamp, we stopped overnight at Elizabeth City's Mariner's Wharf, where we enjoyed a visit to their museum and some yummy fish tacos.  

Friday morning it was on across the sound to the Alligator River and another first  -- note the Shell sign in the background.  You guessed it, a marina/gas station combo!  

Adequate, but would probably skip this one next time.

Out of the Alligator River, we anchored overnight in the Pungo River before moving on.  We've been scouting out these anchorages along the way and will likely be doing a lot more anchoring next summer.

Next stop, Belhaven Waterway Marina.  What a delightful cozy little place!  We enjoyed cocktails on the porch with Ann and Roger aboard Third Reef.  Owners Les and Brenda joined us with Les playing his guitar and all of us singing along.  Fun evening, capped off by another gorgeous sunset.

Leaving the Chesapeake

October 16 -20  Norfolk, VA

It's my birthday --- there's a song for that!


It was a busy morning as several boats, including the pizza party gang, were out of the dock by 7:30.  However, the oyster boats had beaten us to the punch.  There were at least 100 of them ........
the Lake Erie fleet pales in comparison!!











And these guys were towing nets at more than trolling speed ----- it was like "bumper boats" at an amusement park --- on a very large scale!

The "mother ship"

Although the day started out with clouds and a light chop, the sun was shining as we arrived in Little Creek, Norfolk, VA.  This harbor is home to the Navy amphibious unit (the craft used to land out troops on the beach at Normandy and their "mother ship").   Security boats at the harbor entrance make sure you don't get too close!





Once again, it took 2 tries to get an acceptable marina facility.  We ended up backed in on the end of a dock looking directly across to the "mother ship".  So for the next 5 days we were wakened to the sound of Reveille, the Star Spangled Banner and all the service anthems --- very impressive --- so much for sleeping in!








Once settled, it was time for the birthday celebration at Captain Groovy's -- love that 60's vibe!  Great seafood and bread pudding for dessert, yum.











The day ended with this beautiful scene!

Touring the retired battleship Wisconsin.

We enjoyed a 5-day stay in Norfolk.  Doug and Jan were able to spend time with Doug's nephew, John, who lives and works in the area.


While Garry and I spent time with my sister Linda and Tim.  They were spending a week's vacation at a timeshare in nearby Virginia Beach.   We took advantage of car availability to do a few chores and still had time to take in some of the sights.  It was really great to see them and catch up.









Our journey resumed on Tuesday, Oct 21.  What a great start to a beautiful day!






Our route would take us through downtown Norfolk and the heart of the naval base.  At over 4000 acres, it is the largest naval base in the world.

This is just one of the many ships lining the waterfront!







It's impossible to describe how massive they are, or how tiny you feel, until you meet even a "small cruiser" in the channel!











We cruised right by the Wisconsin and the Nauticus Center ---- looks way different when seen from the water.........












Next stop, Deep Creek Anchorage, at the entrance to the Dismal Swamp.

Day Dreams in Deep Creek Anchorage.

Anchors down at 12:20.  The adventure begins tomorrow, but for now, we'll enjoy the quiet beauty.

Crisscrossing the Bay

October 10 

Continuing south, we crossed from Oxford (east side) to Solomon's Island (west side) for a one night stay.  After tying up in the rain and getting all signed in, we checked out the facilities and found the restrooms to be awful --- the worst we'd seen on the trip thus far!  For the first time, we actually asked for a refund and moved to another marina just across the way.  No Comparison!

Solomon's Island was the site for the annual Krogen Rondezvous.  We hadn't planned on joining the festivities, but could see quite a turnout from our "new" marina.  

October 11-13

Saturday morning, still going south, it was back across the bay to Crisfield (east side).  

A pair of eagles welcomed us into the Annemessex River inlet and Somers Cove Marina.  

What a nice facility!

The marina was huge - 500 slips!  First time I've seen Docks A thru R!  Unfortunately, it was far from full - as we've seen with many facilities along our way.



The town itself was pretty quiet.  At one time it was the "oyster capitol of the world" -- shipping 11 boxcars of oysters A DAY to the restaurants and hotels in NYC.  Needless to say, the oyster beds were eventually reduced to less than 1% of the original population.  Researchers are now working on "reseeding" projects whose effects won't be seen for many years.

We enjoyed 3 nights at the marina, catching up on laundry, groceries and hardware store projects.  Jan and Garry sampled some of the local oysters at the Waterman's Inn and found them to be delicious!

Yet another fortuitous meeting --- Ann and Mike, aboard Traveling Soul invited us for cocktails and cruising tales.  They had lots of tips and information that will be invaluable to us as we continue our journey.

October 14 - 15

Back across the Chesapeake to the east side to Deltaville and Regatta Point Marina.  The original plan was to anchor for a couple of days, but approaching storms made a dock a better choice.  Leaving Crisfield, we officially crossed into Virginia.  It's interesting to hear the change in accent just being officially in the Southern Chesapeake!

We pulled in to find Traveling Soul already secure along with a couple of other boats we've seen at earlier stops.  Our assigned dock was a bit tight, but Day Dreams was even tighter -- somehow the message that we both have a beam of 15 ft. didn't get across! 

Time for a little exercise before the storms -- so we got the bikes down and pedaled into town to West Marine and the hardware store (of course!).  

Then it was back to the marina to enjoy cocktails on the veranda .................

Wednesday morning Garry and I took another jaunt into town for brunch and a latte at a cute little local cafe.  Then picked up some crab dips and crab cakes at a local fish market, yum.  Back at the dock, the bikes were covered and back up on deck before the storms finally arrived.

With rain/storms in the forecast, no one wanted to cook, so Ann organized a pizza party for the evening.  To add to the fun, Ann and Jan brought out a birthday cake for yours truly --- a complete surprise and a great way to start celebrating a day early!

St. Michaels to Oxford

October 6 - 7

The marina had a great price for diesel, so we fueled up, filled the water tank and were just getting ready to depart when a dinghy pulled up.  It was Bill and Lisa from the Krogen 48, "Changing Courses".  Garry and I had first met them back in Toledo Beach before we began our journey.  Now, they too are living aboard and heading south --- we'll certainly be seeing them again along the way.

Wind and waves precluded any big move, so we headed just across the way to an anchorage in Leed's creek.  As forecast, the wind continued through the night and into the next day.  So with storms rolling in, we moved to a secure dock at the Miles River Yacht Club.  We took advantage of the nice shower facilities and managed to get through cocktails on Day Dreams before the storms began.  Thunder, lightning, wind --- marina was a good move!

October 8 - 9

Continuing down the east side of the Chesapeake, the next stop was the historic town of Oxford.  The "Star Nationals" sailboat races were in full swing.

These are all the same (one design) small, 

2-person sailboats.  The festivities will continue through the weekend.

We dodged the Oxford ferry (it's been around a while!)




and proceeded about a mile or so to a beautiful
anchorage on Trippe Creek.  There was plenty of space surrounded by palatial homes set on large properties.

Plenty of room with only 5 boats anchored.  We enjoyed a lovely evening just chillin'.



Thursday morning it was time to hop into the dinghy to go check out the town of Oxford.

After tying up at the Hinkley dinghy dock, we set off on foot.  Past the oldest original building circa 1600's















First stop, Cutts & Case boatyard, known for building and restoring all manner of wooden boats.












              Just one of many examples




We walked through "town" - a few shops, a small grocery and many well-kept colonial style homes












before enjoying lunch at the historic Robert Morris Inn















Can you say "Crab Cake"????

Time to head back to the dinghy dock.



After a little cruise through the many marinas, back to the anchorage for cocktails and dinner.




The spectacular full moon marked the end of a lovely evening.