OCEANUS 2008

North Carolina.

May of 2008 we returned to Wayfarer Cove on the Neuse River (North Carolina) where the boat had been sitting high and dry under a tree for the winter.  Wayfarer's Cover bills itself as "Inner Harmony on the Inner Banks". It is a fairly remote area about 30 miles from New Berne. We spent about 10 days in the boatyard having some repair work done and cleaning and polishing the boat, which was pretty dirty after sitting outside on land all winter. North Carolina was a good location to winter-over since it only dipped below freezing a couple of nights.   We also met some friends from S.F. who had kept their Grand Banks powerboat in Oriental for the winter for the same reason. (They had had a delivery captain bring the boat down from the Chesapeake Bay last fall and, in rough water crossing Albemarle Sound, had gotten a lot of water in the engine room necessitating the rebuilding of their transmissions!)  While high and dry in the yard, we experienced wild variations of weather: nor'easter storm with 40 mph winds, driving rain (with nickel-size hail) for 3 days, temperatures from 36 to 90 degrees and a even a tornado warning.  We were glad to get back in the water and on our way.  Intoxicatingly sweet yellow honeysuckle vines surround us everywhere we turn in the marina.

While in the boatyard at Wayfarer Cove we observe an unusual assortment of creatures: rabbits, foxes, snakes, leatherback turtles (on land),and deer. Trees in marina are gigantic and when wind increases, it sounds like waves crashing on the ocean.  With enormous trees and lots of colorful song birds, this is a bird spotter's paradise.  The nearest town of Oriental, NC  is 15 miles away which takes almost 30 minutes to get there via the windy two lane country paved road.   North Carolina is primarily an agricultural state with corn, wheat, sod grass and strawberries but no tobacco. New schools exist everywhere even in rural areas with only 1-2000 population.  Updated and maintained volunteer fire departments with new fire trucks and buildings are seen even in small village towns.  Lots of mobile homes and smaller one story homes on gargantuan acreage with all lawn mowed right up to the front door.  Little landscaping but the need for a riding lawn mower is obvious.  Trees in area are a lush lime green with abundance of light airy foliage with the look and feel of a jungle. We reflect back on where we have been - homes in Florida have manicured lawns ,statuary and say "SEE ME" whereas the waterfront North Carolina and Virginia homes have many trees, a fringe of marsh and lots of "riding lawn-mower lawn" and these houses say "Find me if you Can."

May 18 we are launched back into the water and spend a few more days at a dock (same one we had been at when we came into the marina) getting equipment and systems ready…changing oil etc. May 21 we are underway early down the Neuse River, through Pamlico Sound to a canal connecting the Sound to the Pamlico River. Weather is overcast but no rain.  Enroute, we encounter friendly dolphins, huge and pesky flies and armies of gnats.  We are going to the little town of Bath that was one of the earliest settlements and an early capital of North Carolina…a delightful, quaint little town. Bath Creek is so large it could be a river; many feeder creeks and lowland marshes making for an estuarine habitat. Two bald eagles nest on channel markers and as we pass, little baby bird heads pop up and peep to us.   We tie up at the town dock where there is no electricity and happily, no charge.  Only about 1500 people live here now as the capital was later moved upriver to Washington (called "Little Washington", here).  Bath is the former home of Blackbeard the famous pirate and also has the oldest Episcopal church in North Carolina (1734). 

Three days are spent exploring the town and kayaking on Bath Creek before getting underway for Belhaven  and the River Forest Manor Harbor on the Pungo River.   It too was once a booming metropolis and a favorite stop for cruisers on the ICW (Intra Coastal Waterway) and well known for its restaurant.  Well, it ain't what it used to be !!  The marina is fairly rundown and the restaurant is barely operational and only open on the weekends.  It seems the owner passed away and her two sons don't put any money into it-just milking it for the income.  The restaurant in the old mansion had a new chef but when we went to order, they were out of just about everything…including wine. The town was nice and we borrowed one of their electric golf carts to go to the grocery store which was at the other end of town about 2 miles away.  The golf cart didn't have very good brakes, so it got to be a hilarious ride trying to time the traffic lights and avoid traffic. Crashing into the grocery carts wasn't really our fault -timing the stop was really the problem. There was a very chic book store/ wine store / restaurant in town here and chatted with the owner a while. He said it was becoming a popular retirement place because of good weather, lovely settings, big old houses overlooking the river and a major hospital is only a short ride away.

A boat next to us in the marina was a SabreLine powerboat named "Three Olives". The hull was dark (olive) green (which must have been a custom color because I've never seen a green Sabre before) and the name was painted with a red olive in the O.(I think their name was Oliver). We heard them on the radio several times the next day as they took off at about 20 knots.    We heard later that they had completed the entire Great Loop in 2008. (We have been on the "Great Loop" for the past two summers and expect to take 2 or 3 more to complete it.) Two days later we left Belhaven to transit the Pungo-Alligator canal and then up the Alligator River. Both of these are treacherous cruising grounds as they are shallow and lack of dredging is a constant problem in the Intra Coastal Waterway.  The Pungo-Alligator Canal is about 25 miles long but we did not have any problems at the noted troublespots, although one is always tense and alert.  We heard on the radio that a sailboat had run aground behind us on the Pungo and other boats tried to assist. We then entered the Alligator River that is about 5 miles wide but not very deep.

We spent the night at the Alligator River Marina (really part of a Shell gas station) that is immediately adjacent to a very long bridge. Not very scenic….and we didn't see any alligators. We only stayed here one night as we had a good weather report for crossing Albemarle Sound (North Carolina) which can be very rough if the wind is blowing.  We had planned to stop at Hatteras, Columbia and Edenton (N.C.) with the boat but decided to push on to Elizabeth City (N.C.) while the weather was good. We would rent a car and circle back to these locations later. (Cars get better gas mileage than boats do!!!). The north end of the Alligator River has become notorious for boats going aground on its constantly shifting shoals. We were advised that the route shown on the marine chart is NOT accurate and boats have been reportedly running aground near buoy #12.  Brian got the latest information off the web (Captain's Log) and we pay very close attention to the several green buoys that are changed regularly by the Coast Guard. They indicate a more of a zigzag course than is shown on the chart.

After safely transiting that trap, we had a very calm crossing of Albemarle Sound (about 20 miles) and then up the Pasquotank River to Elizabeth City.  Although this River is also very wide, there are hundreds of crab pots everywhere and there does not seem to be any pattern to them (usually they are laid in lines) and we also have to stay within the channel river buoys. Cindy carefully maneuvers us through this "crab pot minefield". Sometimes a crab pot moves before your eyes and then you realize that it is a bird sitting in the water!!    Is it a bird or is it a buoy?

Finally, we make it to the Elizabeth City town dock which is well known on the ICW for the hospitality of the "Rose Buddies" -a group of local citizens who work as a welcoming committee and host a cocktail party for visiting cruisers each night. (Rose bushes have been planted next to the dock to explain the moniker.) There are already several boats at the dock and there is only one berth wide enough for us.  There is a crowd on the dock watching/ helping us. The berth was 16 feet wide and we are 15'6" !!  so we back in V E R Y carefully tying up to the pilings as we creep in. Most boats here are like us -- northbound  and waiting to go north through the Dismal Swamp Canal.  We took a walking tour of the town that has some very nice houses. The mayor hosted the cocktail party that night and another retiree, who is also a part time bridge tender, tells us about the swing bridge (on our next route) which only opens on the half hour between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. (otherwise "on demand"). 

Memorial Day 2008 dawns with a blustery wind storm, so everyone waits another day. Next day, Tuesday, is clear and calm and every one is casting off to make the 6:30 a.m. bridge opening.  After the bridge, it is about 12 miles up to the canal and then another 20+ miles in the Dismal Swamp Canal. The upper Pasquotank River is very scenic, remote and curvy as it gets narrower the further up you go. I don't think we saw but one or two houses or buildings the entire way. To conserve water, the lock only opens 4 times a day 8:30, 11:30, 1:30 and 3:30 so we had to mill around a bit waiting for the down-stream boats to clear. There were about 8 or10 upbound boats- both power and sail.  While waiting, we are huddling near the shore concerned about other boats drifting nearby and we don't notice the large overhanging trees above us (I wasn't looking UP!)..  Our 12' radio antenna gets snagged in one of the branches and snaps with a very large noise. The radio still works ok but the antenna is lying on deck looking like a wounded bird.

The Dismal Swamp Canal was originally constructed in the late 1700's as a business venture by George Washington and some of his friends to connect the Chesapeake Bay with Albemarle Sound (N.C.) and the waters further south, when all commerce was carried by boats.  The canal, which is fed by a fresh water lake that is about 20 feet above sea level, is straight as an arrow, was dug by hand by slaves, and took some 20 years to build. It pre-dates the Erie Canal by about 30 years.  Some of the original wooden walls of the canal are still in place and can be seen here and there.  After railroads and came into use (1850's), and later trucks, it fell into disrepair but now the National Park Service maintains it as a park. The water resource is limited, however, and if they don't get enough rainfall (which happened in 2007), then the Canal cannot operate and boats have to take another canal over by Coinjock to get to the Chesapeake.

The Dismal Swamp isn't "dismal" at all…maybe it was when George was digging it. It is very lush with trees overhanging…very quiet and peaceful. Tupelo Gum, Bald Cypress and Alaskan White Cedar are some of the large trees we see.  We also note the Dismal Swamp alerts: watch  for bears, bobcats and turtles but no alligators.  We stay the night at the Park visitors' center…along with about 8 other boats and next day do the balance of the canal to the Elizabeth River and Norfolk, VA.  Again the lock only opens at 8:30, 11:30, 1:30 and 3:30, so we have to time our arrival but there are a couple of boats already there when we arrive.  Using our VHF radio, we call the lock tender, but get no answer. All the locks and bridges in the area are on the same frequency, so it is hard to understand which bridge or lock is answering. "There's a big tug and barge coming through"…no, that's somewhere else. We touched a submerged rock a couple of times as we drifted in neutral waiting for the lock to open as there is a bit of a breeze which necessitates constantly maneuvering the boat to avoid the trees, banks and other traffic.  Finally the lock tender arrives to open the lock for the down-bound traffic and says "Oh,  didn't know you were here!!"  Jerk!  It is now about 3 p.m. when we clear the lock and we have to clear one of the bridges in Norfolk before 4:00PM when it no longer opens until 6:00PM due to rush hour automobile traffic.  Fortunately, there was a tug and barge coming through (the bridge will open for commercial traffic during rush hours), so the bridge stays open and we made it through the bridge and arrived at our pre-arranged marina about 5 p.m.

Norfolk, Virginia

We are assaulted with an overwhelming sound and sight-overload as we enter the Norfolk area.  Wow, so much traffic and industry in Norfolk! After the beauty and serenity of the Dismal Swamp, we feel like awakening from a "Rip Van Winkle" sleep!  Abruptly we see the extent of the naval shipyard where we pass an aircraft carrier, numerous Supply and other large naval vessels. We look for ICW mile Marker #1 as I would like to take a picture of it, but cannot locate it in the maze of the boats, ships, harbor and docks on the river. Marker #1 is where the ICW starts going southbound.  We are now out of the ICW and will use existing rivers, canals, water cuts and the ocean as we continue northbound on the Chesapeake. We tie up at Tidewater Marina, Portsmouth  (it has a floating swimming pool on one of the docks!). We are just across the river from the Norfolk downtown marine walk.  Besides the Navy, there is a lot of boat traffic on the river.

We walk to the local Enterprise rental car agency to rent a car to take a driving tour to the Outer Banks sites we had missed on our way up.  Now on land, we see a different set of highway signs: Watch for Bears, Red Fox Crossing, and " Inmates working ahead"!   Reminds one of "chain gangs" Our drive trip will take us to the Outer Banks, to Kitty Hawk, Ocracoke, Hatteras Roanoke, and Edenton.  At Kitty Hawk we visit the Wright Museum where Orville and Wilbur Wright made their test flights. The Wright Brothers were from Ohio but they selected this site for its steady winds, long flat beach, and remoteness from prying eyes. They tried to hire a boat in Elizabeth City to take them here but no one locally knew where Kitty Hawk was at that time! (only about 60 miles away.) Their experiments were not just trial and error-they kept track of their lengthy test data to determine which shapes and configurations had the greatest lift and least drag until they finally arrived at the ideal combination before they took to actual flight tests. The museum is well worth visiting.

We lunched at a nearby fish restaurant and then on down the island chain to Hatteras. We pass over an Inlet with a big bridge over it… sort of like driving the Florida Keys with one island and one bridge after another. Lots of fishing boats here.  We tried to visit the Lifesaving Museum, but it is not open today…maybe on the way back.  That afternoon we arrive the little town of Frisco where we have a reservation at the motel-there are not many places to stay out here, so you have be sure and reserve ahead.  From here we can see the Hatteras lighthouse in the distance….. including its powerful light at night.  We have dinner at a place recommended by the motel staff….all staffed by college age kids. They are sunburned because they had been surfing all day! They said it was the first day they could get into the water without wetsuits! (still about 60º).

We are up and on the way by 9 a.m. when the Hatteras lighthouse opens. It is only a short drive and we can see the foundation of where it previously stood. This entire lighthouse was moved intact a few years ago to save it from the eroding beach. Hatteras is on the Outer Banks where the Greenland Ocean Current and the Gulf Stream Currents meet. From the upper deck of the lighthouse the Ranger explained to us that often you can see different colored water on each side of the bar that extends out 10 miles into the ocean as the currents converge. Hatteras, with its distinctive spiral black and white pattern, it is built of brick and is the tallest lighthouse in the U.S. at 208 feet (built 1870). While atop Hatteras lighthouse, an osprey flew by with a large fish in its mouth!! We were eyeball to eyeball with it. We check out the gift shop and the Keeper's house before moving on to the Ocracoke Island-the next island in the Outer Banks chain. 

We have to take a ferry to get there and there is already quite a lineup of cars, so we have about a 45 minute wait.  They have about 6 ferries that run back and forth constantly.  The channel is quite shallow, narrow and twisty and there is also the ocean inlet to deal with. There are buoys and breakers as far as the eye can see.  I'm glad we didn't try to bring the boat here-we'd have been a nervous wreck. Ocracoke is a State Park with lots of sandy beaches and a little town at the end and also a small lighthouse. We had lunch here and looked around, but there really isn't much to see or do.  We stopped at a beach and rubbed our toes in the sand and waves and then drove back to catch a ferry back to our motel.

Next day drive back up the coast to stop at the Lifesaving Museum again…but still not open. We turn inland at Roanoke Island that was one of the early settlements-mostly vacation condos now.  Quaint little tourist town-has a boat building museum workshop and a little octagonal lighthouse on stilts. We continue our drive across the Alligator River bridge and stop for gas at the Marina Shell gas station (for old times sake) and then on to Columbia for lunch.  This was also a potential boating stop. It is very secluded for protection in a storm, but there really isn't a marina here.  Another town that time has passed by!  After lunch we continue on to Edenton which was once the capital of North Carolina. This is a much bigger city with some very big impressive houses.  We arrive just in time for a guided tour on an air-conditioned trolley bus-hurrah!  We tried to stay at one of the B and B mansions, but they either weren't open or were fully booked.  We had a very nice dinner at an local restaurant in an old downtown building.

Next morning we spent some time sightseeing the town and taking some pictures before moving on to Elizabeth City and back to Portsmouth- thus completing the loop in about 5 days. The next day we visit some sights in Norfolk including the Chrysler Museum which has a very large collection of art glass-mostly collected by Walter Chrysler Jr. who married a woman from here. It is a small museum, but has a very impressive collection of art glass and a few paintings….just the right size for viewing in one visit.   We had dinner with some friends of Cindy's who live here now and took us to a local eatery (a former church).

We have to be underway Friday as this is Marine Festival weekend and there are hundreds of boats coming to town and to our marina to view the fireworks etc. It is somewhat foggy as we head down the Elizabeth River passing a couple of aircraft carriers and numerous other Naval ships on the way.  The Missile Cruiser BAINBRIDGE is having a Change of Command ceremony and is "dress ship" with all flags and bunting flying.  As we pass it, the Quarterdeck is announcing the arrival of various Admirals and VIP's with the appropriate number of bells. On the radio we can hear talk of "warship number xx is getting underway and a security zone is established around the ship and all vessels are to keep clear" …it is the nuclear carrier HARRY S. TRUMAN.   As we proceed down the river towards Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay, we sight what looks like a large post in the distance. As we get closer, it gets bigger and then we can see that it is the conning tower of a nuclear submarine on the surface.  She has a Coast Guard escort…complete with manned machine guns on the bow. Although Cindy had eased us over to the edge of the channel and are maybe 400 feet away, as they come abeam of us the Coast Guard is on the radio and asks us to "stop and put our engines in neutral" while the sub passes. The CG escort then positions itself between us and the sub before moving on as the sub passes.  "Ok, you can get underway now."

Chesapeake Bay

Although we see a couple of Navy destroyers in the distance running a patrol pattern back and forth and going nowhere, the rest of our trip is uneventful as we proceed out into the Chesapeake. The Bay is 160 miles long with a dozen or more major rivers entering it-some with wonderful names: the Elizabeth, James, York, Piankatank, Rappahannock, Great Wicomico, Potomac, Patuxent, Choptank, Severn, Patapsco , Sassafras and Susquehana, to name just a few.

It is a calm day, but somewhat hazy. Our goal for today is Mobjack Bay where we will look for a quiet anchorage up one of the rivers. The East River seems most promising.  Visibility is only 3-5 miles now, so we are picking our way carefully and watching for crab pots…as always.  We proceed slowly up the East River past some impressive houses and find a nice cove off channel marker number 7. We anchor here for a couple of days enjoying the scenery and solitude.  We enjoy a quiet spot after the frenzy of Norfolk.

The term "Gunkholing" originated on the Chesapeake. It refers to a type of cruising in shallow waters anchoring in secluded coves and inlets-of which there are lots in the Chesapeake. "Gunk" is the term for the mud from the bottom that comes up on the anchor when you pull it up. The second morning is quite foggy and I am concerned about getting too close to the marker #7 if the wind switches to a different direction---which it often does at night. It is very warm and unbearably humid, so we sleep on deck.

Next day, the fog lifts and it is a clear sunny bright morning. Wildlife on way from Mobjack Bay are 4" diameter dragon flies (2 of them!) which fly all around the Fly Bridge and then land several times .  We are over 8 miles from land but here we have our own "Tinkerbells". Hundreds of dolphins join us near the Wolftrap Lighthouse. Blue skies but haze deep near horizon; visibility is only 5 miles. We are underway to Deltaville that had been recommended by some friends. Cindy has a flight to catch home in June to attend a conference, so I am looking for a place that will be convenient for getting her to the Richmond airport.

Deltaville is on the Piankatank River and while the approach is easy and straightforward, the access into the harbor is very narrow and twisty. Fortunately, a couple of other boats come along that are going in and I follow them -good thing I did or I would have missed one of the marks in the channel. Then as we enter the harbor (which is really on Jackson Creek), we notice people STANDING in the water directly ahead of us….they are on a sandbar that extends quite a ways out from shore….but we can't turn before passing the red channel marker to starboard marking another shoal…and then there are several boats at anchor.   This is a hairy entrance!!!  Another tense situation!  Fortunately, after clearing through the maze, the marina is directly ahead of us and we tie up on the end of C dock.  A friendly dockhand from the marina tries to help with our lines, but he really doesn't know what he is doing  They have a swimming pool here and air-conditioned restrooms and laundry.  Nice !-as its pretty warm and humid.  The Marina has a courtesy car so we use it to go into town for groceries and boat supplies. We have dinner at Coco's the first night-mostly seafood. The restaurant will pick you up from the marina -which is nice because we would not have known how to find it otherwise.

Cindy had already made arrangements to go back to California to attend a conference (for Continuing Ed. credits), but her mother is ailing in Seattle, so we have to change the flight reservations a couple of times. Then her ride does not show up to take her to the airport in Richmond so she ends up taking a cab and has to change flights again. She'll be gone for almost a week and I have many projects to do on the boat while she is away.  I launch the dinghy and take it for a ride around the harbor but the engine doesn't seem to be running very well (is it any wonder, it hasn't been run since Mexico…?).  Fortunately there is a very good boat yard here and I call them for a number of problems including the air-conditioning and the anchor windlass.  They send someone down within a day….fantastic! The serviceman is really good and has the A/C running within an hour. He shows me what the usual problem is-the water exhaust for the unit tends to get plugged up with marine organisms and all you have to do is blow it out-which means I have to take everything out of the closet to get to the unit.  However, this works quite a few times later, so it is an easy fix.  Amazing how it can run one day and not the next!!  Then there's sanding and a new coat of varnish on the teak cap rail that runs all around the boat.

One night I have to spend at anchor away from the dock because a group of boats is coming in that reserved space some time ago. They are all Sabreliners-which are really nice boats. I have moved the boat alone and am up frequently during the night because of wind shifts and the holding for the anchor is not very good and, as I take bearings, it is slipping. In fact, I drop a second anchor that seems to help. Then at 4 a.m., I wake to find the boat pointed in the opposite direction from earlier and maybe only 100 feet from a large boat at the dock. By sunrise the wind shifts again and we are back where we started. It was a nervous night and I set the alarm to get up every hour or so to check our location.   The cruising group leaves by 11 and I get to maneuver myself back to the end of C dock. Fortunately, no wind…another whew!

Cindy returns and the boatyard tells us it will be 3-5 days for parts for the dinghy motor to arrive so we decide to cruise to some of the destinations on our list and come back to Deltaville for the dinghy.  Our first destination is Tangier Island which is a remote part of the Bay that has been populated since the 1700's and they have been an isolated population that still speaks the "Queen's English" ever since, so the island is fairly unique.  I call ahead for a reservation at their marina "no problem"…   The weather forecast is for light winds 5-10 knots but when we leave it is already blowing more than that…but it should calm down!   It doesn't. The wind increases to about 20 knots and the waves are 2 feet… which is manageable but a little unpleasant. The water is shallow approaching Tangier harbor (which looks more like a reef ) so we pay closer attention to the markers. It is a very small harbor and as we enter, there is a big fishing boat tied up to the end of the long dock. I try to call the marina on the cell phone, but there is no cell phone service here. I call on the radio, but they don't answer.  Someone on the dock calls us on his radio and says "there is only 4 feet of water at the berths along the seawall"-and the berths all look pretty small anyway. The wind is gusty, there are other boats in the channel, and I am maneuvering to try to keep from getting set down onto the dock pilings with the wind.  ENOUGH!  We're out of here.

We leave the harbor and I look for another harbor on the mainland. It is still windy as we cross the Bay again until we get in the lee of headlands. We decide to head for Reedville on the Great Wicomico (its not all that big a river, but there is a "Little Wicomico on the Eastern shore, so I guess they wanted to make the distinction between the two).

As we enter the harbor, there are several large (100'+) fishing boats entering and leaving. There are a lot of derelict docks here…and a BIG and smelly fish processing plant.  We find the restaurant dock (which really doesn't have a sign) and tie up ahead of a sailboat and another fishing boat at the far end.  Shortly after we arrive, a 40' DeFever powerboat comes in and now the dock is full. There are about 6 boats at the dock and Cindy decides it is a good time for a cocktail party which she organizes and everyone enthusiastically attends.  We set up a table on the dock. Everyone brings their own drinks and an appetizer contribution. A fine time is had by all and we have dinner with the couple on the DeFever boat afterwards. They are "new to boating" and have only been underway a couple of months.  The next morning when they are ready to leave, I ask him which direction his boat backs (it's a single screw, so this is important to know where you're going to end up when you put it in reverse!). He "doesn't know" (as I said, new to boating). I then suggest that there is probably enough room ahead and give him a big shove on the bow to push him out and help him get underway.

We stay here another day and take a walk into town. It is VERY hot and humid-near 100's. The maritime museum here is small but very interesting. It turns out the fishing industry here is for Menhadin fish which are not for human consumption but have very high oil content that is used in pet food, cosmetics and a multitude of products and is shipped all over the world. Many of the boats from last night's cocktail party have departed by now. We watch the Tangier Island Ferry come and go (maybe we should have gone over that way…but we're no longer very interested). 

Next day we have had enough of Reedville and the smelly fish processing plant and decide to move on to the Tides Inn on the Rappahannock River. This is a spiffy resort that had been recommended to us. We have an uneventful 20+ miles trip but have to go quite a ways offshore to go around the shoal and lighthouse at the entrance to the River-and watching out for crab pots all the way.  We arrive about 1400 (2 p.m.) and tie up at the Lodge side of the harbor instead of the Inn (they have a shuttle boat that runs continuously from one side of the harbor to the other). It is quieter over here. We go over to the Inn to check it out and have cocktails. The Inn has been here a long time and has been refurbished and upgraded but the marina docks are rather run down. There aren't many boats here because it is also a bit pricey-$3 a foot per night --although the harbormaster tells us it will be full for 4^th of July next weekend. We take a couple of the Inn's bicycles into town of Irvington and ride a few miles to a very old Episcopal church that was built privately (not by the church) in 1600's by the owner of the plantation for his people and has now been nicely restored.  Bicycling back to town we pass a winery that has 2 very tall (30+ feet) corkscrews at its entrance gate (probably made of fiberglass).   We also see a Dentist's office  that has a very large fiberglass toothbrush (8 feet long or more) in front of the office-- someone must be into humorous statuary here!  On the way back to the Inn we stop at the Steamboat Museum which also turns out to be very interesting and informative. From about 1850 up until about 1930 (before the roads and the railroads got built), there was heavy steamboat traffic on the Chesapeake and this was one of the major ports.

Next day we move onto Yankee Point Marina up the Corrotoman River. It is only about 10 miles, so we have time to cruise around a little bit. Nice harbor and all new spiffy docks (turns out the previous marina had been wiped out in a hurricane a couple of years ago!).  Brian takes a kayak and paddles around the numerous connecting inlets. Lots of nice houses with docks here.  I telephone Deltaville to see if the dinghy is ready yet….but the parts have not come in yet and are not expected until after the 4^th of July. OOOh.  So we decide to move on up the Chesapeake to another port… Port Kinsale that is on the Yeocomico River off the Potomac.  The Potomac is about 10 miles wide at the mouth as it enters the Chesapeake. This is about a 40 miles run, so it takes us all day and we pass Wolftrap Lighthouse as we turn into the river.

It turns out the marina office is not open on Monday (they didn't tell us that), so they don't answer the radio and we park ourselves at the end of a dock.  This "resort" that has been here for years and also has a restaurant, a campground, an RV park, and a B&B Inn. We get a lift into the next town for a run to the grocery store.  Port Kinsale used to be a major port of entry for people immigrating to the U.S. (equal to Ellis Island at one time), but only about 500 people live here now. The resort has a swimming pool and bicycles to use. For 4^th of July they have a firework show about 300 feet off our bow, so we have a front row seat. A large group of Sea Ray boats arrive and a couple of houseboats. They are all travelling together and turn out to be rather rowdy. One of the houseboats has a domestic dispute (between a couple of the guys who must weigh 300 pounds each) fists are flung, glass is broken, and the cops are called. Meanwhile, a grass fire is developing on shore where the fireworks were. Neither the marina office nor restaurant is answering the phone because the owner is down at the houseboat with the cops. Meanwhile, someone has put out the grass fire. A little excitement in old Kinsale!

We thought about going to St. Mary's which is another historic old town on the north side of the Potomac, but there are not any docks there so we pass it up.  It is 105 miles up to Washington, D.C and very few facilities along the way, so we pass up that side trip. It would be easier by car. 

Sunday we move back to Deltaville and take up our spot at the end of C dock. We take on fuel, which is the first time we have done so this year, (we're getting very good fuel economy because we have slowed down our cruising speed to 7-8 mph). Still, diesel is about $4.85 a gallon (which is more than gasoline!) and our bill is over $1,000.  We're here for a week waiting for the outboard and anchor windlass to get fixed but enjoy the swimming pool, trips into town with the courtesy car, and free bicycles. Finally the dinghy is repaired and after the mechanic takes it for a zooming test drive (it'll go about 30 mph and he really likes this boat and comments on it several times!) We are ready to go again, at last.  We were fortunate there was a good shipyard here. There are always things to fix or polish on the boat it seems!

Sunday, 7/13. We're underway early as we are going about 50 miles to Solomon's Island which is north of the Potomac in Maryland. This is a highly rated cruising resort and one of the "must see" places on the Chesapeake. We pass the Potomac River entrance again and its old Wolftrap Lighthouse and arrive off Solomon's which is on the Patuxent River. It is Sunday and there is lots of boat traffic. The harbor is configured in a confusing layout-even though we have current marine charts and overview pictures. We go up one harbor branch but it looks like a dead end so we turn around and go up another one that also quickly narrows and dead-ends. Ooops! Call the marina on the cell phone: "NO, the first channel was the right one" and it makes a sharp turn at the end that we could not see beyond. There are no signs posted for the marina.  They tell us we will be at the end of J dock…of course there are no signs on the docks you can see from the water either. We spot two dock assistants waving at us, so we must finally be in the right place.

Solomons is a summer resort town much like Boothbay Harbor, Maine. There must be a couple of hundred sailboats here.  The one next to us is about 60 feet or better and the owners, who live aboard, are out every morning polishing and cleaning it as the boat is for sale. The boat's name is Antares. After the second morning  , they say to us "were you at Thunderbolt last year? Yes."  Then it clicks and we remember they were at the same dock as us when we were at Savannah last year.  Small world!  He's a retired airline pilot and they invite us over for cocktails one evening.

Another afternoon while at the pool Cindy chats with a lady who has just come in on what looks like a Fleming motoryacht (one of Cindy's other favorite boats).  Yes, it's a Fleming. They are from Jacksonville Florida and have brought the boat north for the hurricane season. They are moving on to Baltimore the next day and give us the name of their favorite marina there.

Solomons has a very nice Maritime Museum complete with a lighthouse, but the town doesn't have much to offer even though it's a "cruiser's mecca". Even though it's the middle of the summer tourist season, most businesses are closed on Monday!  After 3 days, we move on to Cambridge and Oxford- 2 little towns founded in 1600's on the Choptank River on the East shore of the Chesapeake. The river twists and turns a lot. Its hard to believe Cambridge was once one of the largest ports on the Chesapeake.  We tie up at the Cambridge Yacht Club. There are many historic houses on the brick paved streets. We were going to cruise to Oxford and St. Michaels after a couple of days, but Oxford Marina is full due to a cruise-in group and St. Michael's turns out to be very expensive… $4 a foot and a lengthy, tortuous trip to get there. So, we rent a car for the weekend and drive to the various locations (gas for the car is cheaper than diesel for the boat) and use Cambridge as a home base each night. This turned out to be a worthwhile alternative as we got to see the local countryside, too.

St. Michael's has a well-respected Maritime Museum extending over a couple of acres, but the town is an expensive tourist come-on, much like Newport, Rhode Island. The next day we drive to Tilghman Island which is at the end of a peninsula overlooking the Bay. We had lunch at a nice restaurant/Inn overlooking the water that we found by accident (probably the best place on the island). The rest of the island/town was pretty sad. The next day we drive to Oxford which is on the Tred Avon River (the name is supposedly started out as Tread Haven or Trade Haven, but got contorted over the years). There are many nice old houses, an historic hotel and a sailing center.  but Oxford has only a population is about 1000 people and they want it to stay that way-they are anti-growth and don't want any new developments to spoil the solitude…or cell phones!  We have a nice lunch at the Latitude 38 Bistro (we're at Latitude 38 -same as San Francisco) and then drive to another old town -Easton to check it out. It's a larger city with an "historic district", but almost everything is closed on Sunday. So, we're back to the boat after a short look around.

Monday, I return the car and we are underway down the twisty Choptank River, across the Chesapeake to West River on the western shore. There is supposed to be a nice harbor to anchor on the adjoining Rhode River, but as we pass it, it looks pretty tight as we pass by so we continue on to Galesville where we anchor in a sheltered cove in 10 feet of water. We take the dinghy to check out the harbor and Rhode River anchorage. Although the town of Galesville is small (we did not go ashore), it seems like a nice place and there are many sailboats here tucked into hidden coves. Next morning we only have about 20 miles to go to Annapolis, so we are taking our time getting ready.  Although the weather report was "clear and calm" by about 10:00 we notice that the sky is getting VERY dark. We turn on the weather radio and there is a weather alert for severe thunderstorms with 50 knot winds in the following counties: "xxx ". What county are we in? We have to get the road maps out to figure that out.  Yes, we are in the zone.  We quickly turn on the engine in order to help take the strain off our anchor in line if we are hit by big wind. Fortunately, the storm passes quickly. We seem to have been on the edge of it.We had 60 feet of anchor chain out in 10 feet of water, so we held ok. 

By noon the weather is clear again and we move on to Annapolis on the Severn River. I had called 3 marinas before I found one that would have room for us. We find the entrance to Chesapeake Harbour Marina -which is really a big condo development. The directions are to proceed up the center channel to the dock in front of the restaurant. Oh boy! Is this a tight harbor and they've got many huge boats tied up on the end of each dock restricting the channel even more. When we get to the restaurant at the end of the channel, I have to make a 270 degree turn to back the boat into the berth and there are several boats with their bow anchors sticking out and another very large Hatteras behind us…as well as many observers critiquing our maneuvering. No wonder we need "arrival cocktails" when we finally tie up!  We are tied up right next to the restaurant's outside bar And we are eye-ball to eye-ball with the bar patrons They are having a fund-raiser dinner that night with a musician and people eating about 2 feet from us (and they didn't even invite us).  We pull the drapes for a little privacy. This condo development has 2 swimming pools, so we make use of them. There is also a nice view across the Severn River including afternoon sailboat races. Ah, the cruising life!

The marina also has a shuttle that takes us into downtown Annapolis. The first day we walk around town on our own and see the lunchtime formation of cadets at the Naval Academy. These are the "plebes" (freshmen) who are here for summer indoctrination so they are marching in formation with drums and bugles etc.  Unfortunately, the Academy museum is closed for remodeling (it has a great collection of maritime art) so we walk around town a bit before heading for the Annapolis Yacht Club for lunch (where we've arranged for reciprocal use from the St. Francis YC).  They have a premier site overlooking the harbor but our boat was too big to use their guest dock. The next day, we have arranged for a Food and History tour of the town. Annapolis was and still is the capital of Maryland and was briefly the U.S. Capital. Unfortunately, the historic State-House is under reconstruction and not open. The tour is a 3 hour walk led by a woman in period costume who gives a running commentary as we visit different historical sites,  taverns, and all the while  tasting  samples of interesting food. She has a steady stream of 17^th Century quips such as:

"May you live all the years of your life

And may bad fortune follow you all your days….

And never catch up with you."

or

"As you slide down the banister of life

May the splinters never face the wrong way"

or

 

May your neighbors respect you,

troubles neglect you,

 the angels protect you,

and heaven accept you.

 

Baltimore

July 25: We're moving on to Baltimore where we will spend the weekend at the Inner Harbor touring the town.  They have done a fantastic job of redeveloping their waterfront and it is a big tourist attraction now and there is lots to see and do here. We take the water taxi into town and that gives us a tour of the harbor as well. Visit the Baltimore Museum - another wonderful museum. Next day we hook up with Cindy's cousins and spouses for a lovely Sunday lunch. On Monday we move the boat back down the Patapsco River to Stony Creek and Maryland Yacht Club where we have arranged to tie the boat up for the month of August while we return to California to avoid the East Coast heat and humidity.  Fortunately, no Hurricanes in the Atlantic so far!!

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After a month at home - and the weather was quite reasonable in the East this year-mostly in the mid 80's compared with the 90's and 100's we experienced last year. We returned to the boat on Sat. Aug. 30 with a yacht club friend who will be with us for about 10 days.  By the time we picked up our rental car, it was dark and it was a little tricky finding our way to the Yacht Club. We stopped at a nearby restaurant that is across the harbor from the boat ("Windows on the Bay" it had been recommended to us by people at the YC). It's raining off and on. The meal is good and, after a long day, we needed it.  Fortunately, the gate key for the YC worked (it didn't when we went out) and we are able to get to our boat.

Sunday, we make a run to the grocery store for food and supplies. Upon returning to the boat and putting things away, I notice there are some clothes and things out of place in the Pilot House I didn't remember leaving there. Sunday and Monday I look for the laptop computer, but cannot locate it anywhere. I finally come to realize we've been ROBBED. laptop missing which has our electronic charts and tides on it (and I had them well hidden), a magnum of Domaine Chandon champagne, the stabilized binoculars and a few other items. Most of the boats are out of the harbor for the weekend, but when they come in Monday night we inquire if anyone has seen anyone prowling about, but no one has. Tuesday we return the rental car and make a report to the police department and the Yacht Club about the theft. Yacht Club says, "Oh, yes, we've had a couple of break-ins recently." They seem to come in by dinghy at night and no one can see them.  Great !  Fortunately, I had another laptop with me that also had the marine charts loaded on it but it does not take the GPS input which shows where the boat is right on the chart. So we navigate from buoy to buoy noting the buoy numbers as we go from now on, making much more work and uncertainty for us.

Maryland Yacht Club is near the mouth of the Patapsco River so we are quickly out on Chesapeake Bay. We have to watch the channel buoys carefully now since the upper end of the Chesapeake is narrower and shallow.   We pass the Sassafras River and turn up the Susquehanna. The channel is really narrow now and at one 90° turn we meet a tug and barge full of rocks.  We move out of the channel a little to give him room to make the turn. About 1700 arrived off the town of Havre de Grace and checked into the Tidewater Marina. Only about a foot of water under us at low tide!  Many Locals in Baltimore had said "it is too shallow to go up there" and few had ever visited the town which is only about 35 miles away by water. Havre de Grace is a nice little town and the marina has a courtesy van they let us use. So we sightsee the town and shop at West Marine etc.  The Marina is full of eel grass so they have a work boat sucking it up (like an oil skimmer). We stay here 2 days doing a little sightseeing and then moved out on September 4 down the Susquehanna, up the Chesapeake Bay past the Bohemia River to the entrance to the C&D (Chesapeake and Delaware) Canal. The Canal is wide (unlike the Dismal Swamp), 20 miles long and straight as an arrow. It is used by commercial traffic to connect the upper Chesapeake / Baltimore with the Atlantic but we don't see any big ships in it. Mid-afternoon we stop at Summit North Marina that is the last marina before entering the Delaware River.  This marina is part of a state park so there is no town here, but it is a well protected "hurricane hole".  We end up staying 3 days waiting for Tropical Storm Hanna to pass. 35-50 knot winds are forecast off the New England coast. It rained a lot one day, but fortunately, we did not see any wind like that.  Hurricanes in New England??

Sunday 9/7 dawns sunny and clear, so we are underway early as we have a long run today, about 45 miles to Cape May, New Jersey. While Brian checked for harbors along the way, they would be for emergency only as there are not many facilities. The Delaware River is pretty wide (it is the access to Philadelphia). We enter the River about 0850 and have to carefully watch the channel markers as there are numerous shoals. We have a 1.6 knot current with us until afternoon.  By 1040 we are abeam "Ship John Shoal" Lighthouse. By1330, after passing "Brandywine Shoal" Lighthouse, we arrive at Cape May Canal, but have to stand off for a while waiting for the ferryboat to leave (the ferry takes up the whole channel when it backs out of its slip). Cape May canal (a shortcut from the River so you don't have to go 10 miles out into the Atlantic) is only about 3 miles long. We arrive at Canyon Club Marina "Resort" about 1500. Canyon Club is another condo development with hundreds of brand new sportfishing boats docked here. They also have a pool, but we are across the harbor from the town (and is also a bit pricey at $200 a night).

Next day we move across the harbor to Utsen's Marina but the starboard engine does not want to start. Finally, we get it started with the generator The marina allows us to tie up right in front of the office which is a straight shot from the harbor entrance. We end up staying at Utsen's 4 days, 2 of them waiting for another storm to pass.  We take trolley tours of charming Cape May town and the Lighthouse.  The town has been a resort since the 1880's and has some interesting houses. Our visitor has to catch her plane back to S.F. We had hoped to make it to N.Y City with her, but the weather slowed us down so, after exploring Amtrak and a couple of other options, we rent a car and Cindy drives her to Baltimore airport (BWI).  Meanwhile, I have had diesel mechanic come to check the starboard engine (sticky solenoid) and also a lube oil leak on the port engine. Fortunately there was someone who could come the same day I called (they were working on another boat in the same marina)-even though it was rather expensive! Dinner on final night with friends- the same ones who had their boat in Oriental, NC where we started this year. While we are northbound, they are now southbound on their way back to Oriental, NC. for the winter.

Friday 9/12 the storm has passed and it is calm so we are underway about 0745 and into the big Atlantic Ocean. We pass the Cape May Sea Buoy about 0815 and turn north 35 miles to Atlantic City. Its about 2-3 foot waves and wind about 12 -15 knots from the southeast so Cindy is a little queasy. We arrive Atlantic City about 1400 and dock at the State marina, which turns out to be run by Trump - along with half the town. Lots of empty slips here. It is drizzling and although there are lots of bright lights, we don't feel like hiking into town or visiting the casinos. The City does not look very inviting.

Saturday 9/13.  Clear and calm today with a forecast of N.W. winds (which are supposed to be preferred for transiting the coast.)  We pass Atlantic City Lighthouse on the way out which is a joke because its buried among the skyscraper casino hotels and you couldn't see the light until you were IN the harbor. We depart the Sea Buoy 0815 with 52 miles tom go to Manasquan Inlet. The ocean very calm today but is hazy with visibility only about 5 miles.  We arrived Manasquan Sea Buoy about 1430 and an enormous fishing boat with outriggers out is taking up the whole channel leaving the harbor. We did a 360° turn to let him pass before entering. Lots of small boat traffic here buzzing everywhere. Tried to call a marina on VHF and cell phone but no one answers. The chart and the Guidebook do not agree on marina information or names. We pass the fuel dock at Hoffman's and they have an empty slip so we take it. Fortunately, we arrived at slack tide because, as we noticed later, the current really rips through here. I would hate to try docking during max ebb! (Like Vancouver! Where the river backs up on a flood tide and you get double the current on the ebb). 

Sunday 9/14. Since we're at the fuel dock, took on 100 gallons of fuel --and departed (*on slack current!) about 0845. It's only 35 miles to Sandy Hook NJ now but it is very hazy. Very calm but visibility is only 3-4 miles. We are approaching Ambrose (formerly a lightship) entrance to New York Harbor and see several tankers and container ships entering and leaving the harbor. There are two marked channels into the lower harbor and numerous side channels so the assorted channel markers are a little confusing, to say the least. We pass two old lighthouses and several turns later, we approach Verrazano Bridge where the channels merge and we enter into the main New York Harbor. Wow, the traffic!

Finally we can make out Governor Island, the skyscrapers of Manhattan and the East River which has a horrendous current against us (waters of Long Island Sound are draining through" Hell's Gate" on the East River). We are abeam the Statue of Liberty about 1430 (which is really on the New Jersey shore).  We would have liked to anchor there and take a picture of the boat with the Statue but that would involve launching the dinghy and there is way too much traffic to be fooling around.  We enter the Hudson River where the current is less and call Newport Harbor Marina which is on the New Jersey side of the River. They have room and the Harbor-Mistress comes down to meet us and help us tie up. A sailboat from San Francisco is next to us. (no one can believe our home port on the stern of our boat when they see it…"is that for real?" There is a lot of surge in here so we are rolling and bouncing around a lot. So rough in fact that we have now have a dozen lines holding our boat in position!

We stay at Newport Marina (Newport in N.Y.?) a week. The N.Y. skyline is directly across from us including construction at the World Trade Center. We are only a block from the PATH train into N.Y. so we spent the week sightseeing. We took a backstage tour of Radio City Music Hall - very interesting - met a real Rockette, toured NBC studios, Museum of Modern Art, Southport Seaport, saw a Broadway show and a performance at the Blue Note Night Club. With our new friends from INCOGNITO (the sailboat from San Francisco), we had dinner aboard another boat that has dreams of cruising and wanted to hear our adventures.  A nice evening!

HUDSON RIVER

It is now September and we are glad the weather is cooler now. After a week of bouncing around we are not sorry to leave N.Y. and start our journey up the Hudson-the same voyage Henry Hudson made in 1609.  We have a deadline to be at Winter Harbor Marina in Brewerton N.Y. so we don't want to dally too long.  The Hudson is very wide here. We passed the ocean liner docks where Carnival and Norwegian Cruise lines are tied up. Saw the new Queen Mary II leave the harbor. Passed under Tappan Zee Bridge, then West Point (which looks like a penitentiary) and arrived Haverstraw Marina about 1500. It's a nice day and lots of small boat traffic and sea-doos running about. There is an enormous bulk-loader ship alongside the entrance channel, so I guess the water is deep enough. The docks are aluminum here and, being very light, are very bouncy…and noisy.  Unlike what the cruising guide says, there is no grocery store close by and the swimming pool is half empty and full of debris.    We eat aboard.

The next town is Newburgh that gets a good write-up in the cruising book for its renewed waterfront development (George Washington spent a winter here.) We tie up on the outside of the floating breakwater and it is bouncy again as we are right on the river.  We meet Art, the harbormaster - who is something out of "Deliverance".  He says he keeps a loaded M17 rifle in his living room and goes on a tirade about the welfare state … and anything else he can think to rant about.  He warns us not to go more than 2 blocks from the marina due to crime.  We go for a walk during the day. Yes, there are a couple of nice restaurants along the waterfront, but we walk into town for some supplies. Yes, it is VERY derelict and run-down…almost looks like Detroit. We decide to move on.  So much for Cruising book recommendations!

The Hudson River narrows and we have a slight ebb current as we pass Poughkeepsie and then arrive off Saugerties channel about 15:30.  Narrow entrance-with a shoal, naturally- but the river is calm and protected and there is a picturesque Lighthouse on the point. There is a Coast Guard station here (we had been playing tag with a Coast Guard buoy tender who was practicing Man-Overboard drills on the river in the morning and followed us up the river.)  Thankfully, they didn't make a "courtesy" inspection of us as another training exercise. The marina has rather rickety docks, but the people are very friendly and take us to the grocery store in town in their own car. As we pass over the bridge into town, we see the end of Esopus Creek that is written up as an excellent anchorage-but there is a sailboat anchored right in the middle, so it would have been hard for us to take a spot there.  Since we have some time (only 12 miles to the next port, Brian launches the dinghy to clean the yellow stain on the bow (known as a "Florida smile").

We depart about 11:45 for the town of Catskill. Another river entrance. There are lots of boats here including Canadians at the boatyard across from us getting their masts raised after coming through on the Erie Canal. Very nice marina including a heated swimming pool! We have the dock all to ourselves. It is an easy 2-block walk into town. The main street is struggling to survive, but we walk up the hill to the home/museum of Thomas Cole -an Englishman who moved here in the early 1800's and started painting the scenery. His paintings of Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains were highly detailed and became very popular. He is credited with inspiring Frederic Church, Samuel Colman, John Kensett and Sanford Gifford and others and they became known as the "Hudson River School" of painting. Church and many of the painters later became founders of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. We stay over an extra day here because of another Tropical Storm passing over, but the rain and wind are light.

Friday 9/26. Visibility is only a mile or two as we pick our way from buoy to buoy up the twisty Hudson River to Albany, 27 miles.  We pass a derelict lighthouse on some tiny island at one of the turns and make out a very big freighter ahead of us in the fog.  Although we are going slowly, she is going slower and we are eventually catch up to her.  We ask permission to pass, the Captain says ok, but she seems to speed up…and then the Port of Albany is ahead of us and the ship is maneuvering into a dock…so we hold back and wait until the ship completes its docking.  Finally we tie up at the Albany Yacht Club whose members are very friendly.  Conveniently we have arrived on Friday night when they have a Club dinner so we meet some of the members.  Oh boy!   We eat with 3 brothers who are in their 70's and have lived here all their lives.  The Club only has about 90 members but it is a nice facility and everyone is friendly!

Saturday we take a cab into downtown Albany and tour the Art Museum and the State Capital that is pretty interesting. The Statehouse was built in 1890's or so and took 20 years to build. It is a work of art with stained glass windows, carved stone and wood but was an enormous cost overrun (typical government operation!).  Finally, when Teddy Roosevelt was Governor, he said "Enough, Its finished" even though some of the carvings are still unfinished. The new government center built when Nelson Rockefeller was governor is also very impressive.  Modern, it sort of looks like Brasilia-the modern capital of Brazil. After that we made a grocery run and back to the boat.

Sunday 9/28, cloudy but calm. Underway about 0900 and proceed up-river to Troy where we encountered our first lock. Then on to Waterford where we turn off the Hudson River and  the beginning of the Erie Canal.  We tie up at the end of the dock but there are already many boats tied up here and they don't seem to be going anywhere. They are having a famer's market today and there is an information office, but they don't have much information. Fortunately, we already have our 10 day Canal Pass, so we move on.  The Erie Canal opened in 1830 and connected Chicago to New York that resulted in a boom in business for both cities. Now it is a very popular tourist attraction with bicycle paths and parks along the way and is called a "National Heritage Corridor".  Many Canadians and Great Lakes boats use it to go south for the winter instead of going out into the Atlantic around Nova Scotia.

Erie Canal

The first set of locks is known as the "Waterford Ladder". It is a series of 5 locks that raises us 40 feet for starters.  There is only a little tour boat with us and the Lock tender opens each one in sequence (they know we're coming) so we make the assent quickly.  We're on the Mohawk River part of the Erie Canal now.  Lots of buoys marking the channel.  We arrive Schenectady about 15:00 and picked out the Schenectady Yacht Club docks. It looked good on the website and Schenectady is the home of General Electric. They have a fuel dock right on the river and we are directed to tie up there. The people are friendly, but....this place looks like something out of the Ozarks. The Marina office is a little shack on the hill and the attendant is sitting in a rocking chair on the porch.  Diesel is $5 a gallon!!!  We didn't take on any fuel or go ashore! We use water to hose off the lock wall scum off the boat.

Monday, underway early as we have about 40 miles and 5 locks to run today. It rained during the night. We're seeing the effects of Hurricane Kyle that came all the way up the New England Coast to Nova Scotia as a Tropical (sub-tropical) storm. We call Lock 13 on the radio to check in. The gate is already open and he says 'come ahead', but his light is still red-it never did turn green (the lock-tenders call ahead to the next lock so the Locktender knows when to expect you and co-ordinate traffic-but this one seems to be lazy!)  We were going to tie up at the town dock at Canajoharie, but there were already 4 boats there and no room, so we press on through locks #14 and 15.  At the last lock, the lock-tender offered to call ahead to St. Johnsville Marina for us...no problem.  Although it is right off the river this is a very quiet little marina with a nice wall. Diesel is only $4.15 here!!   It is also a town park and an RV park.

In the morning we hike into town of St. Johnsville (a couple of blocks) for milk etc. Oh, boy--this town died about 100 years ago.  We take on some fuel at this good price and then press on to Little Falls that is only about 20 miles and supposed to be a neat little town.  It was once the cheese capital of America...a hundred years ago. We pass through lock 17 that is a 40 foot rise-one of the highest in the world --it took 30 to 45 minutes. Then we pass through a gorge where the canal has been cut through the rocks and then another ice barricade before we reach the new town marina… which is another dock wall. It's all pretty new and they are very friendly and helpful. We hike over the bridge into town and stop at the visitor center…which is also the library and historical society.  One of the helpers used to live in California (how did he end up here ???).  The library (in an old mansion) is recommended as interesting, so we walk the length of town. Lots of churches and a nice park. There are several antique shops in the old mill building but generally not much going on here.  We had dinner aboard. There are a couple of southbound sailboats tied up to the wall now and it drizzles off and on.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008.  It rained during the night. We're only going 20 miles to Utica today but at lock 18 we had to slow down and wait for canal workboats and dredges working on each side of the lock. The channel is only wide enough for 1 boat so we had to wait for a few others boats down-bound.  Rained off and on. Went through a lock with a sailboat heading back North...Lady Gray from Toronto.  The Utica town dock is really a restaurant. We hiked into town which is REALLY old. Can't find a grocery store but we make do at a convenience store. We were going to stop at nearby Iliam to see the Remington Museum (makers of both rifles and typewriters-I didn't know they were the same Company)--supposed to be interesting, but then we learned it is only open in the summer and closes Labor Day.