Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009 - we are motor sailing to Deltaville, VA having left our anchorage in Solomon Islands at 0800. Yes you read correctly - anchorage!

Yesterday was Tom's birthday and we departed Annapolis around 1100. We had a terrific time in Annapolis, seeing so many BYC'ers, enjoying the boat show, biking, good food, etc. but it was great to get away from the dock and look forward to anchoring.

We finally had the tide/current in our favor and it was, for the most part, an enjoyable sail. I say for the most part because a peculiar phenomenon occurred about 2 hours from our final destination. It started when I went on deck to move the fender board - the one Bud Jordan had lent us - back a bit so the jib sheets wouldn't get caught on it. I noticed some ants - yes I said ants! I thought at first that they may be from the board, but all of a sudden Tom mentioned that he saw ants in the cockpit. Well, it seems we came upon these flying ants. Now that is weird in itself, but even more strange was, when they landed on our boat, their wings dropped off and they were just crawling around. So now we have these little wings blowing around and crawling ants! I got the fly swatter out and was killing them with that, stepping on them, pushing them off the boat with the swatter or just my hands. It was pretty disgusting. I think I'll take spiders any day over these creatures (check the photo gallery and see actual pictures of these creatures).

As it turns out it was worth our while - Solomons Island is a beautiful spot with lots of spots to anchor. We followed the chart and ended up anchoring in St. John Creek at day mark 2. It was only 5 ft. of water with great holding. Once all tucked in for the night, we got our cockpit and anchor lights, had some wine and cheese and then grilled steaks for Tom's birthday dinner. We topped it off with fresh strawberries over vanilla ice cream. During dinner Jill, Tom's daughter, called to wish him a happy birthday. They had a nice conversation where she also gave him some pointers on using his new phone (she's a MAC user and trying desperately to convert Tom!)

We had a peaceful sleep and woke up at 0630 to decide whether we would go to Deltaville today. Several weather reports were predicting high winds and seas 6 to 8 ft. Since there were conflicting reports, and we heard others on the radio going, we decided to head on out.

As it turned out it was great - still cool - but we had the tides/currents with us again, winds moderate 10 to 15 and seas 1 to 2 feet. Reading the cruising guides we found there was a yacht club with reciprocity in Deltaville - the Fishing Bay Yacht club in Jackson Creek. We called them and they had a dock available, so that is where we pulled in. Dixon, the club manager was waiting for us on the dock and helped us with our lines. Once in we put down the sides, plugged in and turned on the heat. Dixon said that there is a cold front that will be here for the next week or so. So I guess we'll decide in the a.m. if we stick around Deltaville for another day or head for Norfolk about 5 hours from here.

Just read the comments from the last post - thanks so much to all of you who wished Tom a happy birthday and for all your nice comments. We truly are blessed with great friends and family - thanks again and love to all

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Our last day in Annapolis and we woke to a temperature of 55 degrees. It was overcast all day until around 1800 and just as the sailboats at the show were leaving the skies began to clear! We had a great day - taking our time in the morning and planning our next destination and anchorages for the next few days. As I said in an earlier entry, a vendor was going to send us his itinerary from Annapolis to Vero Beach, FL and he did. So we will probably use that as a guide making changes here and there to suit our time frame.

Around 1230 we finally left the boat to bike to some stores we wanted to go to. First stop was Fawcett's - Tom bought some things and rather than carry them he biked back to the boat (I waited at Fawcett's). We then went to the hardware store - Steven's - on the other side of the harbor and Tom found a diesel gerry can for $14.98 - a real bargain. This time we both rode back to the boat to drop this purchase off. We then made it as far as the concession stand outside the boat show and bought lunch - me some Maryland crab soup - delicious, and Tom a hot dog. After that we finally got on our way.

It is great having bikes - Dahon Matrix - we purchased them a few years ago at the Annapolis show - that collapse when not being used and open to full size bikes. We had several people admire them today, asking us about the bikes and where they we purchased them. They certainly make getting around town easier and a lot quicker. All total we pedaled 10 miles today and 7 miles yesterday.

Our big purchase today was not at the boat show but at the AT&T store where we each traded in our old Razor cell phones for new IPhones - wow, I think we've finally entered the 21st century! I know many of you have them that are reading this, and as I am typing Tom is playing with his and keeps saying - "look at this" and "look at this"! I can't wait to play with mine and learn all the many features it has to offer.

When we returned to the boat I collapsed the roof top carrier that was tied near the bow and washed the deck. With all our guests gone we were able to move the 'stuff' that we placed in it back into our aft stateroom. Upon completion of that chore, Tom and I took a dinghy ride around the harbor stopping at Peaches and Chris's boat to say hi. They will be traveling to St. Michaels tomorrow and we hope, somewhere along the way, we will meet up with them again. Safe sailing to P & C.

We are now off to Buddy's Crabs and Ribs for an early birthday dinner celebration for Tom - he celebrates his 66th birthday tomorrow - 10/13

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Annapolis, MD - We arrived here on Thursday afternoon and we have been busy attending the boat show, seeing BYC members at the show and at the AYC (Annapolis Yacht Club) Since I haven't written since we arrived I will now try to summarize the highlights of each day:

We arrived here on Thursday afternoon around 1430. Synergy II comfortably sits in slip 42 at the Yacht Basin Co. facing the Annapolis Yacht Club. We were surrounded by four Catalina 47's and two other Catalina 42's. It seems this was the rendezvous spot for the Chesapeake contingency of Catalina owners. This fact was unknown to me when I booked this slip over a month ago. After settling in we walked over to Fawcett's (a marine store just down the street) to check out the merchandise. We then went to the Annapolis Yacht Club (AYC) and as we approached the steps saw Peaches and Chris - they greeted us with open arms and said they were so glad to see us and that we were safe. We chatted about some of the places we each had been and then Mike and Liz Hatton came up the steps. Again it was great to see everyone and chat. Tom, John and I went into the bar for a few drinks before going back to our boat for dinner.

Friday was a beautiful, warm sunny day. As we were readying to leave the boat for the show, a man came to the Catalina next to us to repair some gel coat. It turns out he is the gel coat repair person for Catalina and travels the country fixing nicks, etc. Since we had a few nicks to repair, and he was right there with all the proper equipment and material we said go ahead.

Now let me interject at this point that before we left Buffalo, one of Tom's long time employees at National Traffic Service, Inc., Barbara Rog, gave Tom a bottle of holy water. We are firm believers that this small gesture has been the guiding factor to our safe journey thus far and for all the many little things that just seem to be "going our way" - thanks Barb - we think of you every day!

Back to the show - Right behind us in line standing to buy our tickets on Friday was Vince Dunn. We chatted as we waited to reach the ticket booth. Inside the show we saw and spoke to John Pettis. It was great connecting with both and catching up on what was happening in Buffalo - sounds like a lot of high winds and water. John and Vince stopped by the boat after to the show and we chatted for a while - again it was great to have them on the boat (sorry we forgot to take pictures)

Saturday started our overcast and threatening rain. It was a bittersweet day since our friend John Welch was packing his bags for his return trip to Toronto. We had such a great time with John - he's a great boat mate - and was he extremely helpful to us on this leg of our journey. Thanks John - you (and Julie) are welcome back any time! Tom and I went to the show to continue our looking and shopping and at 1345 met John in front of the Annapolis Marriott where he boarded the Super Shuttle to Reagan Airport. The shuttle was a few minutes late but did show up and as it turns out, John was the only passenger - talk about VIP treatment.

Tom and I returned to the show, going on several boats and seeing how the "other" half lives. We attended the Catalina party after the show closed which was the platform to formerly introduce and christen the new 445 Catalina. It was a well attended party with wine and cheese, etc. After we ate and drank our fill we proceeded to the AYC where we met Jerry and Carol Revzin. Earlier in the day we received two calls - one from Jerry (Carol) Revzin and one from Jack (Lil) Murty inviting us to join them along with Bill and Lynne Cox them at the AYC for dinner. We had a good time and good food with all (see pictures).

Sunday a.m. I met the Revzin's at 0830. I had asked them the night before if they would be able to drive me to a supermarket the next day and they said yes immediately.
Thanks so much to both of you. When I returned to the boat Tom and I got the bikes off the boat and took a ride around Annapolis. We went to Bacon Sails off of West Ave., found a bike shop open and bought a few accessories for our bikes and then returned to the boat. I had offered to print the Revzin's boarding passes at 1500 and timing was perfect - we got back to the boat on time and were able to check them in and print the boarding passes! I did some wash and shortly thereafter Revzin's stopped by and we had painkiller's and I made a Mexican style dip that we had to munch on. They brought some macadamia nut cookies they bought in town and we each enjoyed one - thanks again Jerry and Carol for all that you did for us.

Well that brings you up to date. For those of you who have been to this boat show you know it's a really fun experience with lots of things to look at and buy. We love to go on the boats to see what new and innovative things they have done with the possibility of incorporating them into ours. We also chatted with some vendors who have done extensive cruising in these parts. One in particular is going to give us anchorages and 'must see' places all the way to Florida. This is what it's all about, meeting new people and sharing experiences.

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We've just returned from having dinner at Waterman's Crab House located on the waterfront in Rock Hall, MD. Thank you Julie Welch for suggesting to John to make this a birthday celebration dinner for Tom (his birthday is 10/13). John generously paid for the delicious dinners of crab cakes, etc. The restaurant, managed by Ken Urban, is a great place for seafood and atmosphere. There are docks where you can tie up your boat while you have dinner, and most nights, if you do eat there, you can spend the night for $1 a foot plus electric. Ken did say that some days he may not charge you at all. It also has a great outside patio but with the stiff winds today and tonight this was not an option.

As you will see from the pictures today it was a beautiful sunny day but the winds were ferocious! As we were 'pooching' in the boutique/marine store we were listening to the VHF radio communication from captains delivering boats to the town dock in Annapolis for the show. They were having a heck of time getting there - with some reporting winds up to 50 knots! We were glad we were tucked in at a dock and not out on anchor!

In the afternoon we walked into town - about a mile or so from the marina and stopped at Durding's store, an old fashioned ice cream parlor. Tom and I had milkshakes - thick and delicious and John had a strawberry ice cream cone. The town also has a large West Marine store which we went into and found some supplies for the boat. On the way back we stopped at the grocery store to pick up some provisions. Julie - John is still looking for those Blue Diamond almonds!

Back to the boat for some cocktails and munchies before we called the restaurant to see if they could pick us up (which they did) and that brings us back to the beginning of our blog.

Some side notes to those of you keeping track of our trek. When you sign into the blog look over to the right hand side of the page. There you will find the photo gallery which you can click on to see the pictures we have taken. Also in that location you'll see another link to 'Current Position' which is the Google earth map - zoom in on this and see exactly where we are. You can also follow our real time movement by logging into www.marinetraffic.com - don't get discouraged if you can't see us at some times - the coverage can be intermittent and is dependent on how the AIS uploads the data.

We leave in the morning for Annapolis. If any of you are in the area stop in and see us - we have a slip at the Yacht Basin Company located between the Annapolis Yacht Club and the boat show.

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I believe today we finally are on vacation! This morning we woke up around 0700 but stayed in bed until 0730. We both took showers and had a leisurely breakfast on the back deck consisting of fresh baked coffee cake and coffee. Before the cake came out of the oven though I hosed off the boat that was covered with sea salt. After our long 38 hour trek of waves crashing over the deck and sides, the boat was awash with salt - I guess it's been officially christened!

The marina where we stayed - Summit North Marina - on the C&D canal was a great respite. It also put us almost half way down the C&D, so when we started our days run, it seemed as if we already had a head start.

We talked about going all the way to Annapolis, but since we didn't pull out of the marina until 1130 we wouldn't have arrived until very late. So we all looked at each other and said - why are we doing this? Since our reservations are not until Thursday, we decided to take our time to go this next 50 miles.

We traveled 42 miles down the Chesapeake and ended up at Rock Hall, MD on the eastern shore approx. 15 miles northeast of Annapolis. Determining where we were going to stay started with reading the anchorage and marina books we have on board. This helped us determine where we would stop since we knew we could only go a certain distance before the sun set.

As we approached the entrance to the channel of Rock Hall, we were again surrounded by crab pots on either side (thanks Peaches for alerting us to this new phenomenon). Side note - Keep this is mind when you are sailing in this area - there are buoys that actually say - Crab Lane - and are located on the starboard side of the channel. Beware!!

OK - sorry about the diversion on the crab pots...we're back in the channel and not quite sure where we were going to tie up - the city dock which is free or one of three marinas. Tom carefully followed the marked channel and as we got near the other end and saw the final choice - The Sailing Emporium - we all looked at each other and nodded in agreement that this was where we should stay.

This marina is so well maintained, the buildings are all colored the same - maroon with cream accents - even the travel lift is painted these colors! It has a great gift store (currently having a 50% off sale - can't wait to get in there tomorrow) and the town itself looks quaint and an interesting place to explore. They also have complimentary bikes to use - which we will - tomorrow.

High winds are coming in tonight - in fact they have already started - so we may just stay here one more day - OK for me - more shopping time!

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It is now 1730 and we have been underway for 33 hours leaving Battery Park and now about 3.5 hours away from the entrance of the C&D Canal (Chesapeake and Delaware). We have already traveled 198.9 miles - beginning with dense fog out of NYC (the radar and AIS were invaluable in this situation), then clearing around 1230 with winds on the nose for all that time traveling only about 4.9 knots. Around 2030 when I was on my rest break (we tried to change watch every 1.5 hours with one person at the helm, one as the lookout and one off) the wind shifted (finally) to the west and we were able to put a little of the jib out (front sail). This helped our speed considerably increasing it by almost 2.5 knots.

We rounded Cape May and began our journey into Delaware Bay and River heading for the C&D. Of course we looked at the weather and currents and tides before we left (like good mariners) and all reports we looked at - www.weatherunderground.com and www.ndbc.noaa.gov and all said winds would be from the west 10 to 15 knots gusting to 20. The tide chart showed the tide changing and going with us from 0800 on. Well in reality the winds were on the nose from Battery Park to just after Barnegat Light and the tide has been against us the whole way. It was pretty rough for the majority of the evening - pounding into the waves - but we all survived. Mom/Jill/Julie - we were all wearing our life vests and were secure in the cockpit.

We passed the Statue of Liberty, watched the sun set at Barnegat Light, saw the full moon rise and light our way through the night, watched Atlantic City grow as we approached and then wane as we passed and finally the sunrise as we rounded the marker of Cape May.

Our speed at this point and for most of the day has been decreasing - again the tides and currents. Last I checked we were doing a whopping 2.5 knots. The weather has been clear and sunny so that's been great but there isn't much to see along this route so not many pictures were taken with th exception of freighters.

We will push on till about 2200 (our ETA) and pull into a marina 8 miles in from the entrance of the canal (that's if our speed stays where it is) - we've called ahead and they will have a slip waiting for us.

It will be good to get into bed and have a good night sleep. Since our reservations for Annapolis begin on Thursday, we will have the next couple of days to take our time traveling the final 50 miles to that location.

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