Because Jim & I had company this weekend we didn't get any boating time in until Sunday, but what a day!

There is something so peaceful and relaxing about being on the water. This afternoon we tood Two Sheets out for a leisurely sail. With the wind gently pushing us at 6 knots, the boat rocking slightly side to lside, the sun glittering on the water like thousands of shards of glass, we let the built up stress of the world quickly slip away. "Aaaagghhh" you inhale; "Mmmmhhm" you exhale. Not another soul in sight or sound to impinge on your peace. The only sound . . . the wind filling the sails and the boat slipping through the water. Does life get any better than this? No! Truly we are abundantly and extravagently blessed!

Early Friday morning we gathered up my mom and headed for the Shore. By 8a.m. we were underway and headed for Urbanna for the weekend. For those of you who have not had the distinct pleasure of spending time on the Rappahanock River and in Urbanna, you are truly missing one of Virginia's hidden jewels.
We had a great sail, putting Two Sheets on a broad reach with the winds blowing out of the North/Northeast at 15 knots, giving us about 8 knots of speed. We arrived at Urbanna Town Marina at Upton's Point about 7:30 that night and promptly washed up and headed to town to eat at Mojo's. Mojo's is known for their organic fare and we were certainly not disappointed! However, it is best to arrive a bit earlier than we did for dinner on a Friday evening, as they were out of quite a few items. Mojo's seems to be where many of the locals like to go for dinner and so it was quite a raucous crowd that night, but still a pleasant and enjoyable evening.
Urbanna Town Marina is a quaint marina, with good clean facilities, and a friendly staff. When you are there, you are like family, which is such a pleasure! The slips are nice, and they have even created some double wide slips to accommodate a boat such as our 23' wide catamaran!
There is a town trolley that runs from most of the marinas into town and into Pine Tree, where you can find a unique place for breakfast or lunch - Something Different Country Store and Deli in downtown Pinetree. Something Different is owned and operated by my mother's brother - Dan Gill. Dan is quite the foodie - a gastronome of uniqueness! Some of Dan's more memorable foods are applechain sandwiches - a hotdog with applebutter and mustard; chocolate-chili icecream; REAL buttered pecan icecream and last but certainly not least, the sandwich that put Something Different on the map - the Virginia Sandwich. Should you make the trek to Urbanna, be sure to take the trolley to Something Different - or check them out on the web . . . http://pine3.info
There are some many wonderful shops in town, but make sure that you do not miss Nimcock Gallery and plan a respite from all of your shopping at Marshall's Drug Store, where you can sit at the soda fountain and have a real ice cream soda or coke float or homemade limeade!
All too quickly our weekend came to an end, and it was time to head for home. Monday morning we quietly slipped out into the Rappahanock River and set a course back to Bay Creek Marina. Winds were gusting up to 35 knots out of the North / Northeast and seas were running 4 - 6 feet. It was invigorating! All the monohulls were heeled over 20+ degrees and Two Sheets was running steady! Rounding Stingray Point from the River to the Bay was tough, so we ran the engine to get us around the point, and then it was sails only until we hit the entrance to Baycreek! All in all it was a great weekend and a destination that we will definitely visit again!

Our niece, Jenny Turner came up from Dallas to visit us, and while she was here we wanted to take her sailing. So, with Jenny safely tucked on board "Two Sheets" and all of our gear stowed away, we headed out of Bay Creek and made straight for Tidewater Yacht Center in Portsmouth early Friday morning. While there were thunderstorms all around us, we had a beautiful weather window for crossing the bay! Jen was ensconced on the forward trampoline reading, sleeping and catching the rays. Jim was at the helm and I was in the cockpit catching up on my reading. It took us most of the day to reach Tidewater Yacht, and the majority of the day it was beautiful. However, once we reached the mouth of the Elizabeth River the weather turned and we had a light rain.

After docking and freshing up a bit we decided to brave the torrential downpour that hit while we were down below decks, and grab dinner up at "The Deck" restaurant. While the food was pleasant, it certainly was not a place I would recommend for anything other than drinks and appetizers.

Saturday morning was gray and dismal, and knowing Jenny wanted to shop, we all walked a couple of blocks down and caught the water ferry across the river to Norfolk where we walked about 3 1/2 blocks back to Macarthur Mall. We decided to eat some lunch, so it was off to Johnny Rockets and then to see the movie "G.I. Joe". Following the movie, Jenny wanted to go shopping at "Forever 21", so off we went in one direction, and Jim in another. Jenny did so well - she got all of her shopping done in about 1 1/2 hours!

Jim's brother Hanse and his family met us for dinner, and then we headed back to the boat with all of Jenny's shopping "booty" in tow! Dan Peterson, a friend of Jim's, came down to the boat that evening and joined us for a glass of wine and tour of the boat - one of the advantages of bringing the boat over to "our side" of the bay!

Sunday morning dawned clear, and with a nice breeze blowing down the Elizabeth River - a perfect day for sailing home! So we got our gear in place and headed home! The wind was great until we were about 10 miles from Cape Charles and then it died down to nothing - not even a cat's paw of wind on the water! So it was time to turn on the "iron spinnaker" and make tracks for home!

We stayed pierside Sunday night, and on Monday Jim putzed about the boat, putting in the first 2 reef points on our mainsail. Jenny and I spent the morning lounging by the pool and relaxing. All in all, we had a very chill, very relaxing weekend!

Well, we have not been so successful at continually updating this blog, but we've had a rather busy couple of weeks since our last post.

The last two weekends we've spent at Baycreek, our home port, doing a bit of local sailing. The winds in our neck of the Chesapeake Bay tend to be fluky at best this time of year, but even in light winds we are able to sail, which is truly a blessing! We had friends come in from Charlottesville on Friday and stay with us for the night. On Saturday we took them on a quick motor around the Cape Charles coastline. the weather was scattered thunderstorms all weekend, so we didn't get a lot of time on the water, but were able to get some much needed boat projects done, which was nice! We also took the opportunity to briefly explore Cape Charles, and we've found some great little hidden "gems" in town! Two of our favorites are Two Sisters, a take out organic homemade goodies shop that also sells fresh veggies. Two Sisters gained fame locally with their homemade "Tomatoe Pie" which was served at the 2009 inaguration. However, if you are a salsa connesieur, which Jim is, you will have to try their "Georgia Cavier" salsa and their Mango salsa, both of which are fabulous! Jim and I have been really eating light on the boat - cheese, coldcuts, and salsa w/ chips - mmmm mmmm good!

Another hidden eatery is Cape Charles Coffee - they serve a killer lunch menu! And their chicken salad, which is made with cranberries is awesome! You can order the chicken salad as a sandwich or as a salad on a bed of green with homemade raspberry vingarette - it is really delish! Everything on their menu is organic, which is wonderful!

Well, it's Thursday night, and we are preparing to go to Cape Charles and Two Sheets for the weekend. We are not planning to cruise anywhere, just sailing around Plantation Flats and maybe across the bay.

It's amazing that as soon as we cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel from Tidewater and are on Fisherman's Island how the stress just begins to melt away; so nice, really feels like we are taking a vacation - that's the way boat life should be!

We are still finding little things to tweak with Two Sheets - I think that will be an ongoing process, but so fun! Anway, just looking forward to steady winds and gentle sailing this weekend.

After departing Fishing Bay early yesterday morning, we arrived at Sommer's Cove Marina in Chrisfield about 6p.m. The winds certainly did not accomodate us, but this is to be expected anytime you cruise on the Chesapeake Bay in July and August! The marina is in a great location, and the facilities, though a bit spartan, are clean and well kept. They have a nice size pool, which is a blessing after a long and hot cruise!

After arriving we cleaned up a bit and then headed out to dinner - Watermen's is fairly new to the Chrisfield restaurant scene, but the food was yummy and the atmosphere was pleasant. Chrisfield is definitely a watermen's town, and crabbing is the name of the game up here. The cream of crab soup is to die for!

This morning we were again up early and headed to Gordon's, a local watermen's hangout, for breakfast. Though it is certainly not the cleaniest place we've ever been in, the breakfast sandwiches rock! Jim & I both had sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches, and the sausage was fresh ground and freshly made into patties - they were delish! And the coffee is good and strong and hot! Make sure you make Gordon's a stop if you are in Chrisfield!

Because we live in Virginia Beach, we rarely do the "tourist thing", but the easiest way for us to see Tangier is to ride the tour boat over, since docking is at a premier in Tangier and we will not fit! I had last been to Tangier about 25 years ago, and it really has not changed. The people are a little formal but they are quite nice. There is not much to see in Tangier, but we walked the entire three miles of the island, stopped in for some ice cream @ Spanky's and all in all had a most pleasant afternoon.

Tonight we cooked steaks on the grill with fresh local tomatoes and a bottle of wine as we watched the gulls dipping and playing. And the sky was beautiful!

But as all sojourns must have an ending, so this cruise does too. Tomorrow morning @ 6:00a.m. we pull out of Chrisfield head for home - Baycreek in Cape Charles. Not sure if we will pull in tomorrow or Saturday - we may anchor out tomorrow evening and make the final run on Saturday.

Sunday my best friend from Jr. High and her daughter will be joining us for a day of sailing out of Cape Charles - can't wait!