Crab Capital of the Chesapeake

We highly recommend the Capital Yacht Club in DC, if you can get in. Fortunately, there was a cancellation which allowed us to dock there. The club is great and the people were very friendly and accommodating. They have a cocktail lounge, a kitchen, laundry facilities and a book exchange. Additionally, they have member-prepared breakfast every Saturday morning and spaghetti dinner every Tuesday night for $5 each. They are located very close to the Fish Market. The market is floating on barges right next to the bulkhead in a "U" shape. Every fresh and cooked fish you want is available. Of course we had to take out and dine on Tide Hiker. Ummmmmm!! The marina is only a short walk to either the bus stop or the Metro, so transportation was EASY. We also walked to many attractions.

Our cruise down the Potomac River to the Chesapeake Bay was wonderful. The heat had lessened and days and nights were cooler and mostly dry. We anchored in creeks that had good depths and were mostly protected and tranquil. It was just what we needed after 12 hectic sight-seeing days in DC. But then we had to stay 3 nights at our last anchorage in Canoe Neck Creek behind Clements Island waiting out the storms that Mike, Norm's brother sent over from the Midwest.

We crossed the Bay and Tangier Sound on Saturday and anchored in Moon Cove, Big Annemessex River on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake. Fortunately, the weather was settled because the anchorage was quite open and unprotected. Then on Sunday, we made the short 2-hour trip south to Somers Cove Marina, Crisfield, MD. Crisfield is named the "Crab Capital of the Chesapeake". Therefore, we will have to pick some blue's while we are here for a week. We're here for our first MTOA (Marine Trawlers Owners Association) Rendezvous. This is a large, very organized group and we're excited to get to know many of the members.

Being a day early, and with the availability of a used waste oil repository, and it being time to change Tide Hiker's oil in her main engines, Norm changed the oil and generally took the wrench on a tour of the engine room. Vicki used the extra time to get a hair cut and catch up on some grocery shopping and clothes washing and ironing. Tonight we'll attend a Pot Luck dinner at the marina's pavilion.

We're expecting some guests soon. Vicki's mom will join us next Saturday for a week or two. Then Rick and Lynnie (friends from Raleigh, NC) are thinking about joining us for a while.

Fast Forward to Today

We’re extremely blog-delinquent. Here’s a quick catch-up. When last we wrote, we’d arrived to Dock B in Delaware in late June. Dock B continues to be a hoot – everyone is still there and it feels like home to us. There were many treasured evenings of camaraderie on the dock until the mosquitoes carried us away.

Two weeks of July were enjoyed in Wisconsin and Pittsburgh. It was fun catching up with the cool relatives at Vicki’s Mom’s family reunion in Richland Center. Our kids and grandkids in Milwaukee took us picnicking, swimming, and to Summerfest . We also had a great time seeing several long-lost friends in Milwaukee. Norm’s brother Mike and wife Pat were fabulous hosts in Youngstown where we also were able to connect with cousins Frank and Claudia and family up in Conneaut Lake. Finally, we attended Norm’s high school mini-reunion in Pittsburgh. It was great for Norm to reconnect with his ole buddies from his "pubescent years". All in all, loads of laughs, good stories, good food and even a beverage now and then.

The rest of July and into August was "Medical Month" but as you can tell, it turned into "Medical Six Weeks" due to schedules and follow-up visits. Norm says, "I arrived healthy and left with two holes in my body" (One tooth extraction and one sun-damaged skin excision.) Other than that, we, fortunately, are fit as a fiddle. That’s especially good now that Vicki will be purchasing her own health insurance in December –don’t want any of those pesky ‘pre-existing conditions’. Norm, having turned 65 in June, is on Medicare – making him officially a Geezer.

In mid-August, Tide Hiker bid fond farewell to Delaware. The first stop was Annapolis to have more work done on (you guessed it) the crap-o-matic. It’s working reliably now – keep your fingers crossed. Dined at Charthouse with friends Roger and Lisa and Dale and Eleanor. As Rog and Lisa were cruising out of the harbor the next day, they called to us to check the cooler -- there they were - the shoes that Roger influenced Norm to buy - the ones the Navy Seals use

with the holes in the bottom that Norm hated and which had gone back and forth from our boat to Roger's during the stop at dock B. The shoes were soon returned to Roger's boat courtesy of Ron who, unbeknownst to Rog was also in Annapolis and agreed to hide the shoes on Rog's boat upon returning to dock B. Much to our dismay, Rog called the other night to say 'the package is in the nest' which we take to mean that the shoes are back aboard Tide Hiker, although we're skeptical because there is no way they could have been returned to our boat. Norm figures that Rog is saying that just to make us crazy searching the boat!! I'm sure you'll here more about this in future blogs.

Then on to Washburn's Boat Yard in Solomons Is. Maryland to reinstall the repaired Windlass (the anchor mechanism to you land lubbers!) and replace the dinghy steering mechanism which had frozen courtesy of the corrosive Caribbean salt air. While getting all this done, we made new friends with Bob and Cheryl aboard Kasekuchen (means ‘cheesecake’). They were in the bakery business manufacturing 38 million calories an hour! Cheryl’s chocolate chip cookies are incredible, and a private recipe, which we think includes oatmeal and flax. Also spent some time with Jamie and Rick who sold us Tide Hiker and are tackling many projects aboard their new Symbol trawler.

We were joined for a weekend in Solomon’s by niece Aimee and boyfriend Brian. Brian plays the sax and bought Aimee an accordion (she’ll be a polka queen soon) – Norm joined their jam session on the conch horn while Vicki ran for the ear plugs. Hence, the birth of the Tide Hiker Treo .

Big Boat Bob’s 60th surprise birthday party was in Norfolk in mid-August. Couldn’t miss that, so we rented a car and drove down to Williamsburg. Great to see Lynnie and Rick who had driven up from North Carolina, Tammie and Doug aboard Gypsies, and Bob and Stephanie on September Song.

Tide Hiker headed up the Potomac in late August. Great anchorages at Smith Creek, Port Tobacco River, and Mattawoman Creek and Canoe Neck Creek behind St Clements Island. Stayed 12 days in Washington D.C. at Capitol Yacht Club and loved it. Walked our tootsies off and saw almost everything we wanted. From our dock we could see the top of the Washington Monument. Friends Dale and Eleanor who live nearby went on three excursions with us and we spent time with Aimee and Brian who live in D.C.

Other highlights included the International Spy Museum (including their Operation Spy experience) , Bureau of Engraving and Printing tour, Embassy walking tour, Alexandria apothecary museum, Kennedy Center tour, Washington Momument, the Capital tour, World War II Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Old Post Office tour and bell ringing, Hirschhorn Sculpture Garden, National Cathedral tour, Friday night Jazz in the Garden at the Smithsonian Sculpture Garden, National Symphony Orchestra concert on the lawn of the Capitol. We also saw the Capital Steps on stage at the Ronald Regan Building, the funeral procession of Sen. Ted Kennedy and "The Musical of Musicals-the Musical" in Alexandria, VA. And, almost all of it was free!! Whew!....we need a couple days of anchoring. But, most exceptional, was Norm's pal-ing around with Barack and Joe. Norm gave Barack a few suggestions and he was very open to them. Joe on the other had, was quite skeptical.
But after a few beers in the Rose Garden, Joe softened up a bit.

In short, it’s been a grand summer so far. We’re now on the way down the Potomac headed for the MTOA rendezvous in Crisfield, Maryland next week. Should be another good time with more old and new friends. Mom Cooper joins us a week from Saturday to cruise the southern Chesapeake- it’ll be good to have her aboard.

Finally....Homecoming!!

We had to wait out a couple more days of strong squalls in Reedville, VA, after which, we bee-lined for Solomons and Washburn's Boat Yard. Chris Washburn squeezed us on a face dock even though they were quite full. Eric, the General Foreman, had his crew on our windless at 8:00 AM the following morning. It took them almost 4 hours to remove the gear box from under the foredeck. I am sure that put a crimp in their busy schedules so we are very appreciative of the quick service.

Within an hour after the windless was removed, and the hole was weatherproofed, we skedaddled north 4 hours to Harrington Harbour South, on Herring Bay. We went there for two reasons. First, to shorten the next, long and last day's cruise to our home port. Second, we've never been to Harrington Harbor and wanted to see the place that has been rated so high in the cruise guides. Herrington Harbor is a huge marina. In fact, there are two--one North and one South. The southern one is a resort and the northern one is a boat yard. The resort was just that--swimming pool, tiki bar, hotel, gift shops, etc. Very nice with very nice people in charge. Next time we'll check out the northern one.

On Wednesday evening, after a long 11 hour cruise, unfortunately against the wind and currents all day, we arrived Summit North Marina, Bear, DE. Chris, the marina manager arranged a slip for us on our old Dock B. Most of our friends were on the dock to welcome us home. We laughed, swapped sea stories, blew conch horns and partied till the wee hours of the evening--11 PM for us geezers.

This may be our last blog update for a while. After a couple days here getting the boat cleaned up and secure, perishable food eaten and more homecoming parties, we're off to see family and old friends in Milwaukee, WI, Youngstown, OH and Pittsburgh, PA. We're planning to return to Tide Hiker on July 13. Then, after our annual medical checkups we'll begin our summer cruise of the lower Chesapeake and the Potomac River; and, our southern trek to the west coast of Florida before the snow flies. We'll restart our regular blog updates then.

We hope you all have a great Independence Day. Isn't it great to be in America!

"...including Deadly Force!"

We left Hampton, VA (Norfolk) on Friday after a 3-day rest and recovery, expecting to be at our destination on Monday--2-days late. (Are you really "late" when you're retired?) Departing the Hampton River and entering Hampton Roads, we heard a warship destroyer announce that it was enforcing a 500-yard security zone around the Aircraft Carrier "77" which was departing Norfolk. "Anyone entering that zone would be subject to force, including.... deadly force". How could I explain to my children that I was blasted out of the water by my own navy, supported by my tax dollars? So, we called the destroyer, announced our position and our intended course and told them to stay out of our way. Right!!!

We did call them and announced our position, our intended course and asked for direction. They responded: "maintain course and speed; we have you on radar; we will notify you if you became an issue." Become an issue? How will we be notified?

It all ended up OK as the aircraft carrier was headed up the James River to Newport News--the opposite direction. Whew!!!!

We cruised to Deltaville, VA, but ended up passing it because the weather was good, the seas were gentle and we only had a slight breeze from the north and a gentle falling tide. We went on to Reedville, VA. (Still on the western shore of the lower Chesapeake Bay.) We were going to anchor in Cockrell Creek, Great Wicomico River; but, Norm discovered a severe oil leak in the windless (anchoring mechanism) rendering it unusable. So, we took a slip in the Fairport Marina.

They have a pretty good restaurant and bar that specializes in soft shelled crabs and oysters. Need I say more.....?

We awoke this morning (Saturday) to head for Solomon's, Maryland. We checked the weather radar before we shoved off, as we usually do, and discovered another wave of storms approaching from the west. While they were not directly headed for us in Reedville, they were tracking directly toward a line from the Potomac River through Baltimore--our planned path today. Some of these storms were predicted to produce winds in excess of 50 mph. Our better senses said to stay. As it turned out, we saw severe storms pass over that area with upwards of 45 mph winds. We met others that pulled in here today to get out of the lightning and blinding rain. Our decision was the right one, even though it delays our homecoming.

So what are we trying to avoid? This, on the left! (Sometimes double clicking on the pic will expand the photo.) When we say we look at weather radar, we look on web sites with our computer that give us real time pictures of current conditions. We also have other sources that give us text forecasts. Here is a pic on the right of the computer screen showing today's storms as of a few minutes ago. You can see that the storm cells have moved off the coast. The arrows indicate where the cell will be in an hour. The longer ones are moving faster than the shorter ones. They also show and tell us in what direction they are moving. Cool huh?

Unfortunately, tomorrow is not looking much better. Not storms, but strong blustery winds from the north and a strong falling tide (a new moon). When able, we'll depart for Solomons, MD and have Washburn's Boat Yard take a look at the windless; and then, we'll proceed north to Wilmington, DE, our home port. Wish us luck--we have to catch a plane for Milwaukee out of Philadelphia next Saturday!

999 Miles & Vicki--the human fuel pump guage!

We're relaxing comfortably in Hampton, VA, just across the bay from Norfolk, VA. We needed a break from the continual wind, storms, bridge openings, shallows and gray overcast days. Besides, the Chesapeake Bay (we are here now) is very "lumpy" today and we just don't want to deal with that. We're tired. So, we might just stay here a couple of day.

Since departing Pungo River anchorage, we cruised about 80 miles to Coinjock, NC for the best prime rib this side of Texas. We were watching Nexrad radar on our PC and saw some really bad, dark, stormy clouds approaching from the west. So, we ducked into Alligator River Marina and got permission to tie up until the storms passed. They never came! We had lunch and waited 1.5 hours and literally watched the storms dissipate before getting to us. They must have built up and burst out all their energy before reaching us. So, we resumed our long trek to prime rib, ooooops, I mean Coinjock Marina, NC. This marina is a goldmine. They are known for their prime rib, home made potato chips and great dock hands to help boaters tie up. The marina is always full with some boats rafting off. This means that there is no more dock space so they tie boats up to other boats--sometimes 2 thick, we are told.

The next day was another long day. We cruised 12 hours for a mere 62 miles. That's because we had to time bridge openings and lock availability. This can be quite a chore but necessary. Cruising through Norfolk to Hampton Roads we saw plenty of Navy war ships--aircraft carriers, destroyers, guided missile frigates, supply ships, hospital ships; and, lots of USCG security boats with 50 Cal's on the bow. We are required to keep 500 yards away and that is sometimes not possible considering the width of the channel and other tour boats, fishing boats and other recreational boaters in the harbor. And, the afternoon wind was strong with 3-4 footers in the harbor. And, the chatter on the VHF radio is always exponentially more frequent and louder in industrialized areas--all adding to a confusing, tense, and focus-required period.

We arrived safely at the Sunset Boating Center on Sunset Creek, just off the Hampton River to refuel. We did not exactly need fuel yet but this marina has an especially good price. And, when purchasing 540 gallons, we look for the best deal. This took forever. First of all the pumps were awfully slow; and second................read more.

Here's what happened. We have four 200 gallon tanks. We can turn valves in the engine room to dispense the diesel from whichever tank we want to keep the boat level. If we only ran diesel from one side of the boat, we would have an opposite list (lean). We don't have gauges to tell us how much we have used from each tank. Instead, we do have site tubes where we can see the level in each tank. I use a formula that I developed by measuring the inches of fuel used to determine how much to put into each tank. (I know, this is a yawn-er, right?)

Anyway, we know how much to put into each tank. For example, 171 gallons in the port forward tank, 108 gallons in the port aft tank, etc, etc. Someone has to be at the pump to tell me when we have reached the required amount. The marina folks said they would help. So, I began filling up the port aft tank and waited for the 5-gallon warning. The dock hand did not show up and Vicki, who was on the spot yelled "167 gallons". I stopped when she told me 171 and went on to the next tank. She would tell me when we reached the accumulated amount for each tank. We filled 3 of the 4 tanks this way. While working on the 4th tank, the dock hand came out of the office and said "167 gallons--this is your 5-gallon warning".

What the heck!! We're on our 4th tank. How can this be?

Well, (hold your laughs), Vicki was reading the price, not the gallons. So, we had to return to each tank and put in the difference. A lesson learned??

We have cruised 999 miles up the east coast since arriving in West Palm Beach from the Bahamas. Only 2oo more miles to go to our final northern destination this summer--Bear, (near Wilmington) Delaware.

Dogged by Storms!

We just can't get away from them! But today, we safely anchored in the Northern Pungo River Anchorage about an hour before we were hit. The 90Lb Delta Fast Set anchor and 120 ft of chain in 8 ft of water held us in the moderate winds. (Nothing like yesterday.) The canvas roof held on with our temporary repairs. So, we're relaxing with a good book. Tomorrow we have schedued an 80-mile cruise to Coinjock with a forecast of 30% T-Storms all day. The last 2 days have been 30%. Go figure!

Where's the Roof?

It was supposed to be calm, sunny, clear, cruise from Morehead City, NC to an anchorage on Broad Creek, north of Oriental, NC. The diver replace all of our zinc anodes and gave us an OK report on the wheels, shafts and struts. So, we were doing good. That is, until the last 40 minutes. We saw the storm building on the radar and Nexrad Radar showed it as well. We could also see the clouds building to our west. All indications were that they would be moving South--away from us. But that did not happen. Instead they turned East, right in our path. So, we turned around and headed to Oriental Marina. We lowered the antennas because lightning was all around us. Oriental was 30 minutes away and we just might be able to make it. Do we ride it out on the Neuse River or try for the Marina? We'll try for it. ( Vicki remembers the Lake Worth storm event and does not want to repeat it.) Just as we turned into the channel into the marina, it hit--hard. A squall with over 35 MPH winds and blinding rain. We heard a "roar" from up on the bridge as Tide Hiker listed a good 25 degrees to port. We normally drive from the flying bridge, but had moved from the flying bridge down to the pilot house. We were too focused on maintaining control to worry about it. A few minutes later I looked up top and saw that the canvas roof was half gone. The squall ripped out the wire ties from the grommets and the canvas was blowing in the wind. Rain was pouring in and the part of the canvas that was not flying, was collecting water. Can't worry about that now. Have to get back to the lower helm.

We were following a 75-ft shrimp boat in. But the shrimp boat, after unsuccessfully docking, returned into the channel right in front of us. I gave the NO/STOP signal with 5 horn blows, but she was not listening or couldn't hear over the sound of the wind. We put the brakes on and narrowly missed him just as he was listing at least 30 degrees to starboard from the wind. We tried to turn into the waves and had to use full throttle and the bow thruster to bring the bow around. We headed back out into the Neuse River to get away from the shrimp boat. We saw her turn around and make another attempt to dock, but this time bow in instead of trying to stern in. So, we turned around and made another attempt toward our marina. The winds were somewhat lesser now but not completely diminished. We continued to the marina and they directed us to the fuel dock. We normally dock stern in as well, but instead went in bow first. Trusty Joe, was there on the dock to help us tie up. He was soaked even though he was in full rain gear.

Lightning was still around us, so we waited to hook up the electrical power cord. The rains began to diminish so we attempted to secure the canvas roof with new wire ties. We got it as snug as we could and went below to get into some warm, dry clothes.

Next? You guessed it. Off to check in and have a drink at the tiki bar!