10/26/2009, N36 50.5 W76 17.9
October 21, 2009 Wednesday
Day 27: Tidewater Yacht Marina, Portsmouth, VA
John Ryan packed up after we had a hearty breakfast at the CAF�^ on High Street. The short walk along this business packed street was a great exercise after being on the boat for four days! We really tested "FIU" on the Chesapeake Bay last Saturday and Sunday. We also tested ourselves. The heavy weather sailing was an experience that ranged from sheer ecstasy to moments just short of sheer terror! I want to be careful not to overstate the sailing conditions, however, the two or three 10-12' troughs we were caught in for several seconds pushed more adrenalin through my system than the first time I met my wife of 38 years and that's saying alot! John was helpful and knowledgeable and I was sad to see him leave, but someone has to go to work everyday!
The Tidewater Marina has many amenities and a very knowledgeable and courteous staff. It's close to the Historic District of Portsmouth, VA. The self-guided walking tour was interesting and a wonderful way to pass some time while seeking out downtown stores and places to eat.
I gathered all the wet towels, dirty clothes and bed linen and proceeded to fill three large washers at $1.25 per load in the marina Laundromat. Again, I managed to even fold all the clothes neatly. After some time repacking my small closet of three shelves (3' x 2' total space) with clean clothes I decided to take the paddlewheel ferry across the river to Norfolk and the Waterside Mall.
I enjoyed the ferryboat ride and the Buffalo shrimp at the Waterside Mall.
Calls to Bonnie and friends completed my day.
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Comments [1]
Becky
10/22/2009, Goodwin Islands to Portsmouth
October 20, 2009 Tuesday
Day 26: York River-Goodwin Islands to Portsmouth, VA
Another beautiful sailing day was in store for us as the sunrise shone on the bay under a blue sky. Wait! Scratch that. While it was a bright sunny day with few clouds it was not a great sailing day since the warm southerly winds were coming from dead ahead! We left the sails furled and motored down the last short stretch of the Chesapeake Bay to Norfork, about 30 miles.
As we approached the harbor channel we could see masts of sailboats in front of us and behind us. At any given time there were a dozen or more and we all had the same idea- get to the Intercoastal Waterway. As we funneled in from the bay into the channel the water was flat with little wind and not much large ship traffic. It was interesting to note that many of the sailboats were flying Canadian flags with a smaller US courtesy flag flying from the first spreaders. One Canadian sailboat was having engine trouble since black soot from unburned diesel was collecting on the dinghy hung at the stern and the entire transom was painted black as well! They cruised past us and didn't seem to notice or to be worried.
What a sight the "Battleship Row" is to see! Apparently, this is the largest fleet of US ships anywhere. All were protected by gunners at the bow behind machine guns. If I were to guess they were 50 caliber, powerful enough to make a small sailboat like "FIU" give them lots of leeway. In fact, it seemed like a prudent idea to float by on the far side of the channel! It is difficult for one to imagine just how large these aircraft carriers and destroyers truly are. Until I saw them firsthand I didn't realize their true size.
It was impressive to see the protection being offered the fleet. All ships had a heavy steel fence in front which seemed like an impenetrable barrier. Navy helicopters flew by from time to time, but I'm not sure they were part of the security or if they were ferrying Navy personnel to and from.
John enjoyed navigating using the Garmin GPS. It can be a toy for a "gadget" guy! But, it is almost irreplaceable from a practical sense. While John was at the helm I couldn't resist going forward to the bow and taking pictures and making phone calls to family and friends. All the very hard work to get here was more than worth the effort. The harbor here is large and clean, but most of all awesome!
A quick call to Tidewater Marina just past hospital point insured us a spot for the evening at the marina. The male voice responded with a spot at slip F 10. Coincidence or what - in Baltimore my slip was A 10. In any event it was a troublesome slip to enter since I needed to make two 90 degree turns in order to enter. I was glad I asked for help with the mooring lines. Again, however, I left all the paint on the boat and not on the dock!
Being across the river from Norfork was a treat, especially at night, when its skyline was lighted to the "Nth" degree! Registration, showers and dinner at the Blue Water Seafood Restaurant capped off a wonderful day!
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Chow! Pat
Safe travel out there.
10/22/2009, Potomic River to Goodwin Islands
October 19, 2009 Monday
Day 25: Potomic River to York River- Goodwin Islands
We awoke at sunrise which featured a bright orange horizon and crystal clear blue sky. Wasting time was not in the program for the day since a longer day was in order to balance yesterday's short travel time.
The conservative part of me insisted we reef the sails no matter what! In actuality, it was a wise decision since we were still facing 10-15 knot winds out in the bay with gusts much larger. The day was uneventful with clear sailing on the north and later northwest breezes. We were due a great sailing day after the heavy weather sailing of the previous two days.
One would be impressed with "FIU" and her ability to take on some large waves and handle the troughs. I never really doubted her abilities on the water. The sailing instruments have been most helpful. What does one do without a GPS? Dead reckoning is the answer and for many those map skills are gone if ever they were learned.
The entrance to the Goodwin Islands is extremely shallow and careful thought and consideration is necessary to anchor successfully in the narrow bay just off the channel. This part of the Chesapeake Bay is similar to the Hudson River while it seems wide open with plenty of depth it truly is not. Much of the water just outside the channel was only two feet deep at mean low tide. Basically, that's an average of two feet during the average low tide, but it could be less, which is why one needs to be vigilant.
Inside the narrow bay the water was "flat." I mean there was not one ripple! What a relief after the hard days previous. Also, anchoring became a sailor's dream. The water was seven feet deep so the 40 feet of chain I laid out was plenty of scope. Overkill is more like it. Go figure, it seems like from one extreme to the other.
Dinner, some TV and calls were the perfect end of this day.
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10/19/2009, Potomic River
October 18, 2009
Day 24: Solomon's Island to Potomic River
Weaving our way out of the mooring area through a narrow channel was easy this morning because we could see in the daylight. Last night was a challenge compared to today. Once out in the open water we raised the mainsail. I guess I was hopeful and not really thinking about the strong winds forecast for today. Instead of reefing I put up all the canvass. Soon we left the protection of the bay and the wind and waves were overwhelming! We struggled for four hours trying to keep "FIU" pointed in the right direction. Since the wind was a "following" wind or wind coming at us from behind, there is always the danger of jibbing or having the wind push the boom and sail to the opposite side of the ship with tremendous force capable of inflicting serious injury and damage. I decided to end the nightmare and put into the next bay for some relief and safety! The wind was steady at 20 knots with gusts up to 27 knots! Waves were steady at 6-8 feet with big guys measuring 10-12 feet high.
Even though we failed to cover much distance we were safe and "FIU" was not at risk of potential damage. Lunch was a hot one and we were able to dry out and feel good about being off the Chesapeake Bay. Since John has a family wedding in Alabama he needs to be in Norfolk for a Wednesday morning flight. There is some pressure to cover distance each day. We intend to get up early tomorrow in order to make up for the short day today. Lunch on the Potomic River sounds interesting but today is more of getting dry and eating some warm food.
The heater is working just fine. Boy, we were wet from head to toe! The inside of "FIU" has 100% humidity and all the windows were foggy and wet. An hour of running the heater took care of most of the excess moisture.
Calls home and to some friends, charting tomorrow's expected route then sleep were completed in that order.
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Did you bring a camera?
10/18/2009, Baltimore Inner Harbor East Marina
October 17, 2009 Saturday
Day: 23 Baltimore Inner Harbor to Solomon's Island
The adapter for the shore power (converts a 30 amp power cord to fit the 50 amp power supply at the dock) was returned early to the marina office. Since there were no outstanding charges I said goodbye and the office staff wished me luck and safe journey.
We slid away from the slip into calm waters with the rain pouring down after Dick released our lines! This was day three of gray skies, rain and cold air. Even with that the Inner Harbor is still of wonderful sight to see! Before traveling very far we docked at the Tidewater fuel dock across the bay from our marina. A police boat left the dock to make room for us. John filled the gas can (fuel for the generator) while I managed to pump 79 gallons of diesel fuel into my 100 gallon boat tank! It was like an "easy on easy off" station on the interstate. It cost $193.00 to cover the cost of the diesel (really, not a bad deal at that price).
The flat water in the harbor soon turned to 2-3 foot waves with fog and lots of rain! We were wet starting out and never really got dry until we anchored and cooked dinner. The harbor was again busy with large ships. We were one of only a half dozen recreational boats out there. I guess the "small craft advisory" was meant to keep boaters home!
As we motored down the channel and under the Francis Scot Key Bridge we discussed raising the sails. I wanted to wait until we were out of the way of harbor traffic. The wind was coming from the north and we were headed southeast out of the harbor and channel that leads to open water. This meant we could "reach" and this would give our speed a boost.
The further we went the rougher the water became. I felt concerned but not afraid. It's always wise to let the weather make your decision to sail or not to sail. Upon leaving the harbor and in more open water the wind kicked up and the rain increased. Waves often were four to six feet. "FIU" handled the rough water and whitecaps with ease.
Riding the tide out of the harbor and down the Chesapeake our average speed was seven knots or about eight miles an hour. That's the only redeeming factor for sailing during such miserable weather. We approached Solomon's Island in the dark and relied on the GPS and each other to safely enter the twisting harbor channel and anchor about a mile up.
Anchoring provided me with another lesson and that is "scope" or the amount of chain let out is important. We made three passes in and around the potential anchoring area before deciding on a spot near other sailboats already settled in for the night. The water depth was twelve feet and I lowered the anchor and forty feet of anchor chain. I reversed the engine to "set" the anchor and it seemed like success. We left the engine running for awhile in order to use the heater to dry out and get warm. While finishing dinner the lights shining in one window seemed unusual and out of place. I went up to the cockpit to find a green blinking channel buoy next to "FIU." You got it! The anchor was dragging in the wind and we were headed for the shore. We were quick to start the engine and return to our original anchoring spot. This time I let sixty feet of chain out. Needless to say I woke up many times in the night to "check" the anchor. All was well each time and I tried to go back to sleep. It rained most of the night and inside everything seemed to be wet or damp. I was looking forward to the morning.
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10/10/2009, Baltimore Inner Harbor East Marina
October 6, 2009 Tuesday
Day: Thirteen
The night was brighter due to the near full moon (waning gibbous) high in the sky. As we progressed through the C-D Canal we were blessed with flat water and few boats and large ships to deal with. Our goal was to arrive at Baltimore Inner Harbor East Marina at daylight. However, since the water was flat and the current was with us our anticipated speed nearing doubled! This was both a good thing and a not so good thing. It was good because we would arrive sooner than expected and sleep would come quickly! It was not so good due to the busy harbor full of tugs and bright lights which made it nearly impossible to distinguish moving barges between us and the bright harbor lights. We had one close call but not so close as to scare us. After all we're seasoned sailors, right?
We met a huge ship in the canal that resembled a giant shoe box motoring through the canal. It must have been seven to eight stories high! George mentioned a ship was gaining on us from the stern. He kept checking its distance from us. It looked to me like many of the shore lights we were seeing. As it turns out, the land traveling as fast as we were moving near City Island was the same phenomenon happening to us again this night. Again, the point is night-time travel on the water is complicated by many factors the most important being able to identify ships and landmarks.
We discussed a short cut to the channel that leads to the inner harbor and still have plenty of water under our keel. As the toast says, "May you always have water under your keel!" The shortcut also cut significant time off this leg of the trip.
As we approached the harbor, the Francis Scott Key Bridge took shape before us. What an impressive sight the harbor presented to us! Bright lights and lots of ships moving in and out made us feel quite accomplished! I've never seen a harbor quite like this. Even New York harbor as busy as it was during the daytime can't compare to Baltimore at night!
I called the Inner Harbor East Marina for clear directions to our slip. The marina attendant said we should look for the "Domino Sugar" sign over our starboard shoulder and look for the first entry into the marina by the "Legge Mason" building. I made it clear we were a wide beam ship, nearly fifteen feet. I needed to turn starboard into the marina and then an immediate turn to port. Slip A10 was just a short ways down the channel on the left. You guessed it! It was a rather narrow slip with boats all around. Tying up required a conference so that it was clear we needed spring lines to stop us from backing into the dock and yet keep us in the relative middle of the slip. "FIU" needed to be slightly starboard in order to step off and on the dock. I managed with the crew's help to keep all the paint on "FIU" and none on the dock!
Matt helped me wash the deck and lines. Remember there are no ropes on a ship! Soon George was asleep and I took Matt out to a small diner for breakfast. I had a bowl of home fries, scrambled eggs, and sausage topped with cheddar cheese. It was just what I needed after about 46 hours of continuous sailing under a variety of conditions from Sandy Hook to Baltimore Inner Harbor. Finally, sleep!
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