Hampton, Deltaville, Solomons to Annapolis MD (June23-30)

Had great weather over two days for the trip from Hampton, VA through Deltaville and on to Solomons, MD.  The marina we chose in Solomons was like a small resort with pool and restaurant on site.  They offered a courtesy shuttle to the grocery and liquor store.  We finally got the boat bikes out and toured the small town, enjoying a great lunch at the Pier House restaurant.  Jim had a grilled ham and cheese with a crab cake in between that was outstanding.

Sunset at Solomons

Solomons is home to an extensive museum focused on maritime issues, but also includes paleontology and ecology related matters.  One of the last remaining “Screw Pile” Chesapeake Bay light houses has been moved here for display.  During periods of fog the light house keeper was required to wind the mechanism for a bell striker every 2 hours.  The bell rang every 15 seconds.  Hard to imagine that he got much sleep.  Some keepers raised their families on these structures which were miniature islands.

Drum Point "screw pile" Lighthouse
with traditional "skipjack" sailboat
Solomons Museum

The trip up the Bay to Annapolis on Friday the 26th was uncomfortable for the first several hours, but settled down in the early afternoon.   We came on Friday knowing the weather on Saturday would be miserable.  It has been a welcome change from the intense heat, but the rain and wind on Saturday were constant.

Our LYC membership gives us access to and dockage at the Annapolis Yacht Club.  AYC was established in 1886 and is an impressive club with facilities on both sides of Spa Creek in old town Annapolis.  Friends from Potomac VA (Steve and Georgia Fortune) joined us for dinner at the club on the 27^th.  Friday night cocktails included an extensive selection of free hors d’ oeuvres and Saturday’s dinner was excellent.

Unique bar at Annapolis Yacht Club

Jim’s sister, Pat and brother-in-law, Brian came from California to join us in Annapolis.  They were joined by Pat’s long term school friend Rita Carty and husband Wayne who live nearby in Maryland.  We spent 2 nights and a day touring the town and enjoying the gastronomic delights of Annapolis.  On the last night we were joined by Brian’s childhood friend from England, Louis and his wife Louise.  There were many laughs as we all reminisced of good times past.

Pat, Debby, Brian, Jim, Wayne, Rita
Carrol's Creek,  Annapolis

Brian, Pat, Rita, Lou. Debby, Louise, Jim, Wayne
Cafe Normandie, Annapolis

Made it to Virginia (June 18-21)

It is 183 miles from Oriental to Norfolk, the beginning of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.  Our first stop was an anchorage just south of the Alligator-Pungo  River Canal.  It was deserted, calm and peaceful as shown in the picture.

Pungo River Anchorage

Next stop was Coinjock, NC, a place that appears to exist solely to serve travelers on the AICW.  We were surprised when another Navigator, same size and vintage as ours pulled in behind us.  We had never seen another 44’ Navigator.  A young family was delivering their father’s boat to be sold in Annapolis.

Two 44' Navigators in Coinjock, NC

The marina has a restaurant that is home to the famous 32 oz roast beef.  We each got a smaller cut, but it was without doubt “The Best” roast beef we have ever had.  In case you are wondering Coinjock is an Indian name for mulberrys which are grown here.

USS Wisconson

Locking thru to Norfolk

Passing through Norfolk it is impressive to see all the Naval ships and repair yards.  Every one says the town is not much of a stop so we crossed Hampton Roads and stayed at the city docks in Hampton.  As it turns out it is not much of a stop either.  Next up is Deltaville, Solomons and Annapolis.

Oriental ( June 15-18 )

We first came to Oriental 7 years ago on a cruise around the North Carolina waters.  We were enamored with it then and are happy to see that nothing has changed.  It is a very small village whose social life centers on the Tiki Bar at the Oriental Marina and Inn.  Seven years ago we met three couples that took us under their wing, invited us to their homes and to parties.  They are all still here and it has been fun to reconnect.  Monday night is “Boy’s Night” at the Tiki Bar and Wednesday night is “Girls Night”, so we got to participate in both.  We met another character named Carl, very wealthy and over 90.  He fell in love with Debby and insisted he give her a tour of the town in what the locals call “The Pope Mobile”.

Debby and Carl in the Pope Mobile

It has been brutally hot here with temperatures in the high 90s.  Have now decided that we will winter in this area.  We made reservations beginning November 1 at a nice marina next to a hotel in downtown New Bern which is about 30 miles up the Neuse River from Oriental.  Over the next few days we will make our way to Norfolk, VA, “Mile Zero” on the ICW.

Finally Underway Again

After 10 days in Wilmington we finally got underway again.  For the cost of a new SubZero we got our old 7 cu. ft. refrigerator back in working order.  We like Wilmington, but after looking at the available options for long term dockage have decided it may not be suitable for our winter stay.

We are on our way to Oriental, NC, one of our favorite spots in the state.  We continue to enjoy good travel weather, although it was in the 90’s yesterday and is forecast to remain that way for the coming week.  We lucked out last night by docking at Harbour Village Marina.  This is a private facility and they were having their homeowner’s annual catered cookout on the docks.  Great southern fried chicken and barbeque pork.  This is a very nice facility near Topsail Island.  We will reach Oriental on Monday, June 15. 

Harbour Village Marina

Wilmington, NC (June 3-?)

Wilmington is 14 miles away from the Intracoastal up the Cape Fear River.  We came here because we wanted to see if it would be a good place to spend the winter.  The Intracoastal has gotten so bad in GA and SC that we want to avoid it as long as possible.

 Our refrigerator/freezer stopped working on the way to Myrtle Beach.  As you can imagine this is a “no go” item.  Since June 3 we have been using our ice maker to store what was in the freezer and coolers with ice to keep the other stuff.  Both the compressor and power supply are burned out in the frig.  A new replacement will not fit in the space we have, so the old unit will have to be rebuilt at a cost that will probably exceed the cost of a new one.  We will not know until June 8 when replacement parts will be available.

Being  flexible souls  we are making the best of it.  We docked downtown at the city docks along the River Walk.  We have decided we really like Wilmington and are looking forward to having the boat here this winter.  Yes, it will be cold, but not enough to freeze the boat systems.  The town has a nice historic/entertainment district with 40 bars and restaurants within an easy walk from the dock.  We have tried a few of them, and they have all been good.  One in particular, Caprice, was so good we went twice in 3 days.  A very French bistro with “the best” mussels.  Friday night there was a free concert on the water front with one of the best bands we have seen in a long time.  The Saturday morning Farmer’s Market in the same location was also very good.

Jack Jack 180

She was Great

Feature band not so good

The downtown docks were booked for the weekend so we had to move further up river to Cape Fear Marina for the remainder of our stay.  This is the place we would keep the boat, so it gives a good chance to see what it will be like.  We have rented a car and done some exploring and like what we see so far.

Sunday we had lunch with a work associate living in the area.  Paul and I have known each other for over 20 years and have similar work backgrounds.

Paul and Barb Rehder at Pilot House

Beaufort, Charleston, Georgetown, Myrtle Beach

Beaufort (bew-fort) is a charming town.  But we have been there before so we stayed in Lady’s Island just a mile away.  It is home to the “Fillin Station” with Friday night steak dinner for $12.  We did not try it but did stop for a beer.  Quite a mix of clientel!

As usual we had a great time in Charleston even though it was only for a day.  On our last stop here we missed the Sunday Jazz Brunch at High cotton Restaurant.  Fortunately this time our one day was Sunday.  Great atmosphere, great food and good jazz.  (For our friends Ray and Suzie it was like HAGS with better location and food.)  Spoleto Festival was going on so we walked the town and took in the art show at Marin Square.  Had drinks at the Rooftop at the Venue Inn,  listened to some more music then were treated to a wine and canopy art show at the Venue’s annex.

Jazz at High Cotton

Who's the handsome guy in the straw hat?

 Running the Intracoastal in Georgia and South Carolina is painful and nail biting.  No money has been allocated for needed dredging, so there are numerous locations which have become impassable at low tide.  Fortunately,  we have several chart plotting programs for the computer which give accurate up to date tide and current info which combined with input from other cruisers on the Active Captain web site has kept us out of trouble so far.  The scenery is nice, however.

South Carolina Intracoastal

 Georgetown is another historic village with many homes on the Historic Register.  I picked out the one below for my sister, Pat.

Georgetown, SC

Traveled to Myrtle Beach June 2 and had the first rain underway since departing Fort Lauderdale.  This is just a stop over on our way to Wilmington, NC.