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October 28, 2009
Day Thirty Four: Elizabeth City, NC
Today was a day to relax, restock and remind ourselves of why we are here. Bonnie called the "Farm Fresh" grocery store and she and four or five other first mates were met in the parking lot near the Visitor's Information Building by a young lady driving a white van from the store. They were driven to the Farm Fresh store where they shopped for food to restock their boat pantries. They were delivered about an hour later to the Visitor's Building lot by the same young lady. Imagine any store in New York to even think about such a thing! We are so litigious in New York this convenience and kind and thoughtful effort would be sure to involve some type of lawsuit. To go even further, this young lady probably didn't have a taxi license or a chauffeur's license. Mindboggling to say the least! As a "transient" sailboat person on vacation and away from home, it was a relief to know we could get to a grocery store to buy food without the hassles. They figured out that by providing a free ride to and from their store that we will spend money a small city grocery can count on in these tough times!
The day turned out to be a sunny and hot day with temps in the mid to upper 80's! I know why I'm here! When Bonnie returned from the store we unpacked and then headed out to the ACE Hardware about five or six blocks from our slip. A quick stop at CVS as well and we had the necessary items we were looking for. Bonnie heard about the "Harbour Tea House" from the ladies and she most graciously treated me to lunch. What a carefully planned and decorated place to relax and have a meal. The owners came out to talk with us and were appreciative of our seeking out their business as "transients!"
We were again invited to the "Rose Buddies" for wine and cheese and crackers at 4:30pm. Since the slips were 100% full there were about two dozen boaters there including those from the "dark side" power boaters!
Bonnie's dinner was a BBQ with grilled chicken, corn on the cob and potato salad (home made). After supper we visited with Mike and Jan whom we met at Tidewater Marina in Portsmouth. They offered us a margarita and of course we accepted. Mike gave me an ICW Guide Book to help us plan (opps there's that word plan again) some of our trip south.
Writing blogs and reading were part of the" lights out" routine for the day!

October 27, 2009 Tuesday
Day Thirty Three: Deep Creek Lock to Elizabeth City, NC
We were up at 7:00am. That's a not true! Bonnie needed some extra well-deserved sleep and she was up shortly thereafter. The cabin beds are very comfortable with plenty of room for two. After perking coffee and eating a light breakfast of cereal, banana, raisins and blueberry muffins we heard the lock tender call over the radio channel 13 telling us to get ready for a starboard or right side docking inside the lock. Since we were first in the channel we were beckoned in to the front most position near the front gate.
Here's where Bonnie shines! Since the boat will move up or down in the lock depending on whether or not we are locking up or down each needs to hold either the bow line or the stern line. If we are locking up then we need to take up the slack in the line as we rise in the lock (give slack if we are locking down). This may seem a little complex, however, it's so easy a "caveman" can do it (Geico commercial)! We also had to loop our line around the post provided. Bonnie made one line toss and snagged the post! It took me two tosses to complete my job! We had fun listening to Bob the tender tell us it's much harder to be first in line since when locking up water needs to be added to the lock. This causes the first boat to move around more than the others in line since the water enters up front. This in turn requires the line tenders (us) to exercise more than you would expect. We exited the lock and started down the narrow canal (maybe 50' side to side and from 6-14' deep. Bonnie was at the wheel for most of this leg of the journey.
What a fantastic (over-used adjective) ride the canal provided! I missed the leaves changing in Averill Park this year, the first time in 31 years. The canal provided some red with lots of yellows and greens. Also, the over-hanging trees added still another dimension to this leg of the trip. We arrived at the South Mills lock (locking down) at about 12:55pm. Once again Bonnie performed her duties beyond expectation! It was a good feeling to see her participate despite her often out-spoken reluctance! Life is good!
A curving and wide open Pasquotank River (I can't pronounce it either) was a fun way to end the day. We just made the 4:30pm opening of the Elizabeth City Route 158 highway bridge. You have to remember traffic is stopped in both directions in order to let us pass. At late afternoon this is a problem for many on their way home from work and school. Did I say the "W" word? As we were approaching the bridge we heard the sailing vessel "Murkada" beg the tender to wait for them. She put lots of gentle pressure on him. However, he responded with a truly gifted voice and command of the language and was so gracious. No, he didn't hold the bridge open for her. She and her husband arrived an hour later and docked two slips down from us at the city harbor.
Upon arrival at the city docks, which are free, there were three "older" men giving instructions and helping us safely into the slip. There are harbor veterans! Immediately, we were invited to the "Rose Buddies" welcoming tent just down from our slip. We were treated to red, rose' or white wine, cheese and crackers and of course a red rose for the ladies. This tradition of welcoming boaters, yes even power boaters (dark side) are invited. Fred Fearing and Joe Kramer started this in 1983. Even after Fred's death in 2007 the tradition continues. You need to know that their city docks ( 14 or more boats) are free for a two-night stay!
Dinner in (left-overs), some reading and phone calls meant the end of the best day yet!

October 26, 2009 Monday
Day Thirty Two: Tidewater to Deep Creek Lock
We awoke around 7:00am, made coffee and started to carry out the day's tasks. We bid farewell to Mike and Jan aboard "Cat Lady" (she's the sailor and captain and he's the crew)! They helped with the docking lines and off we went.
Atlantic Marina is less than a half mile south on the river, however, the wind was picking up out of the east and we needed to enter their bulkhead going west (not good)! Needless to say Capt. Sid made an almost uneventful docking in order to "pump-out!" The dock hand was a competent and helpful young man. The wind carried "FIU" slightly into the dock and to keep my record clean, no paint was left on the dock anywhere. A $5.00 pump-out gave us a boost since we were not sure where the next service would be along the Intracoastal Waterway. This is truly an adventure since we are experiencing things for the first time.
Well, I wanted Bonnie to take on as much responsibility as she felt comfortable with and I have to say the day went well for her and our trip. We missed the "hard" right turn Mike reminded me about and we traveled a mile too far. No problem. We turned around and came back to the bridge and executed a "hard" left to enter a rather narrow channel though clearly marked. We were entering the "Dismal Swamp" Route 2 of the ICW. We could hear the traffic from the I64 highway for about a mile or more then things settled down to a rather quiet and comfortable speed of 6.2 knots on very flat water. What a pleasant afternoon. The issue of course, is if you have a "plan," expect some delays or other unexpected happenings. All of the cruisers I have met all repeat the same philosophy- it is not a race and the best "plan" is no plan. Add to that the weather makes the decision whether or not to sail that day! This is such a far cry from the daily hassles put before for most of our lives. I like this rather laid back lifestyle.
I guess I got carried away. The point I was going to make is by missing the turn and retracing our steps we burned up too much time and we missed the 1:30pm opening of the Deep Creek Lock by 35 minutes. What this meant was we didn't want to take the next opening at 3:30pm because it would not allow enough time to get to Elizabeth City before dark. So, we contacted the Lock tender and requested permission to anchor in the channel for the night and make the 8:30am opening on Tuesday. Bob, the tender, radioed back and insisted we anchor directly in the middle of the channel due to the large range of tidal water. Well guess what? I laid out 60 feet of chain and the water was only ten feet deep. No anchor dragging this night! Four other boats joined in and it was quite a sight to see the anchor lights and cabin lights in such a remote area.
Bonnie worked her magic in the kitchen again and after phone calls, reading and some planning for the next day we retired.

October 22-25, 2009 Thursday to Sunday
Days: Twenty Eight to Thirty One Tidewater Yacht Marina
Today was spent catching up on all those things that have been neglected due to the four days of cruising from Baltimore to Portsmouth-Norfolk area. You know things like paying bills online, cleaning, having my monthly blood drawn and sent to my doctor and restocking food supplies. The weather has been warm and sunny up to now but clouds and rain are in the forecast.
I spent some time reading and exploring the nearby city. I cooked my own meals. I even managed to make hot soup and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! Seriously, though, I made a pasta dish served with canned ham. I have no complaints about the meals I was able to prepare in large part due to Bonnie's comprehensive planning techniques! I did miss fresh fruit and greens. It is difficult to buy in large quantities and still keep them fresh. The apples from George and Matt were brought on board earlier in the trip and were a treat of sorts.
I promised Bonnie I would meet her at the Norfolk airport (it's always nice to be greeted after a long flight). The folks at Tidewater recommended Portside Taxi as a way of getting around the area. Bob and his wife Ellen have two cabs, one of which is a fairly new minivan and the other is a more traditional cab car. Bob has some kind of physical disability and uses his "Handicapped" sign to park close to all the doors of the places one needs to go to. He is thoughtful and kind. I went online looking for clinics or hospitals to have my blood drawn. When I called him he thought I would be better off at a hospital closer then the one I had chosen. I agreed. He said it would be faster and cheaper to stay in Portsmouth instead of fighting traffic going into Norfolk. While I went back to "FIU" to get the RX I forget he had called the other hospital and asked all the necessary questions. When I returned to the cab he explained what he had done and I thanked him for the info. He knew which door to enter, the desk I needed to stop at and of course that there was no wait. Viola'! He waited for me to finish and did not charge me for his time. I made up for some of it with the tip!
Friday came and went. I was excited to see Bonnie on Saturday returning from Denver and Bozeman and her "fantastic" visit with the one year old granddaughters! I'm jealous and I can't wait to see them as well. Bob met me at the gazebo near the marina and drove me to the airport to meet Bonnie. What a thoughtful and well-planned airport. It's fairly new and clean. I was taken back by the lack of New York style security! I could walk to Bonnie's gate! There were boutiques, coffee huts, news and magazine stores and of course the familiar souvenir shops! Most airport plans call for clear-cutting the trees in and around the airstrip. Norfolk however, kept the terminal surrounded by trees and a small pond or lake. The runways are of course tree free. Entering the airport terminal is like entering a park!
Plans had been made earlier with the couple (Mike and Jan) on a 30' catamaran in the next slip over from "FIU" to have a "painkiller" (a Caribbean rum drink- my specialty) when I returned with Bonnie. We enjoyed the conversation and exchanged sailing cards (business cards) then Bonnie and I walked a few blocks to the Blue Water Seafood Grill, just off High Street, for appetizers and a beer.
Sunday was spent topping off the diesel tank, filling a five gallon can with extra fuel, going over charts for the next day's journey, replenishing water in the tanks and settling in with new crew! I tried to get a "pump-out" but a huge mega-yacht was tied up and left no space for anyone else to use the service. So the only choice was to go the next marina down (Atlantic Yacht Marina) on Monday when we left for the next part of the trip.
Bonnie cooked a grilled cheese and ham sandwich for lunch and boneless pork chops and pasta in an Alfredo sauce for supper. Ah! Heaven!
A few phone calls and it was "day over."

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.