October 2001

In the fall of 2000, Bob and I took our boat RosalieAnn from Maryland down the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) to Key West, and then down to the Dry Tortugas. Then we visited the Bahamas briefly and came home. I wrote up the trip and emailed it to family and friends. This illustrated document is about the beginning of the 2001 trip.

Our boat at the dock

This was the first trip I wrote up on VirtualTourist after I joined in 2002, because the 2001-2002 trip was the first time I made extensive use of a digital camera to take photos and because I kept a detailed expense spreadsheet. I labeled each section as a LEG

Our boat has two separate sleeping cabins, each with its own head (toilet) and sink. The main saloon has two bunks, a corner settee, a dinner table around the base of the mast (which goes right down inside the boat) and the galley (kitchen) which has a stove, sink, a large refrigerator and freezer.

Layout showing the V-berth at the front, the cockpit in the middle (white area) and the aft cabin on the left

There is also a separate shower, but when we are cruising we normally use the forward cabin (called the V berth because it is in the bow and is V shaped) as a garage to store stuff. This year we packed all the stuff from the garage (including Scuba gear) into the shower which was full to the top, so that our guests could use the V berth.

Cut-away view

Getting ready to leave Tuesday 23 October 2001

After Rob and his family and Beth and family left, we started getting ready to move on the boat. I had several last minute loose ends to tie up
a) getting prescriptions for 6 months for me (Bob got his on the base with no problem),
b) finding out what had happened to one of the items I'd ordered,
c) mailing back shoes that should have been tan but were black,
d) trying to get a final bill from the Washington Post guy etc.

FInally did A after a number of calls - should have been quite simple, but the drugstore wouldn't believe me. B said that they'd tried to call me and couldn't get through the caller intercept, so they just gave up - had the item shipped to Rob. C was no problem. Never did get in touch with D.

Packed up and went down to the boat, got things stowed. Drove Bob's car back followed by the marina truck, and dumped all the water and refilled the tanks with fresh water. Max and Lucette, the couple that helped us take pictures of the boat under sail,

Under sail

are riding with us until the middle of Nov. They were driving up from FL where their boat, the 33 foot version of our boat, is docked. I called them on the cell phone about 6 p.m. and they were just approaching the Gov. Nice bridge to cross into Maryland from Virginia. We figured it would be 8:30 before they would be there and Bob asked if I thought I could walk to Scheible's for dinner as the marina restaurant was closed. I said yes. But Scheibles was closed, so we went on to Courtneys. We were walking back to the marina when Max and Lucette arrived.

On our way Wednesday 24 October 2001

We started the engine at 9:20, and finished removing the dock lines and were 3 miles out in the Potomac by 10 am. Winds were from the SSW, so we sailed a bit out of the Potomac,

Under sail

but then had to motor into the wind which was up to 19 knots against us with 4-5 foot waves in the Bay. We saw a topsail schooner Mystic Maid as we came out of the Potomac (probably coming back from the races) and lots of menhaden boats off Reedville.

Mystic Maid

We bypassed the Great Wicomico where we anchored last year to go up Indian Creek off Fleets Bay to the Chesapeake Boat Basin.

Arriving at Chesapeake Bay Boat Basin

We are on the T head (along the end of the dock and not in a slip). The bathrooms/showers are sparkling clean and newly decorated. There is a lounge with cable TV and an internet connection and a marine store. We got a ride into town to Jimmie’s Café in Kilmarnock for dinner - I had the pork chip special and it was almost 3" thick, and Bob had fried oysters. Max and Lucette had crab cakes

Thursday 25 October 2001

We expected a front to come through Thursday with strong winds. It did. We had gusts up to 29 knots at the boat, and Indian Creek is very protected. We didn't have any waves there. We heard all kinds of people (on the VHF radio) having trouble out in the bay including a guy who was sawing through his anchor chain. There is an SSCA Island Packet with several cats anchored up past the grain silos and a trawler named JEMIMA which wanted to get to Deltaville, but came in here because they were getting beat up by the waves. They said the waves off the mouth of the Potomac were particularly bad. They are headed for Hilton Head.

For dinner, we tried to get an Italian place to come for us, but the girl was new and had an attitude. So we went back to Jimmie’s Café and Bob had shrimp and I had swordfish.

Friday 26 October 2001 - Fixing the depth sounder

We are still here. Our depth sounder wasn't working, and we consider that pretty important. It warns us when we are about to go aground. I thought it would be clear enough (sun and clear water) so I could freedive and see if it had barnacles. However, I thought it was too cold to go in without a wetsuit (water temp about 66 deg F) and I found I couldn't get down under the boat with the wetsuit on because I was too buoyant.

So Bob got out the scuba gear (putting it on was like a Keystone Cops routine - I did it in the dinghy and eventually I had to fall out sideways). Even with a weight belt, I still couldn't go directly under the boat, so I worked my way down the keel of the boat from the bow and found the transducer and scraped all but one stubborn barnacle off. Bob went up to check the depth sounder while I scraped off the prop. The depth sounder still wasn't working, so I went down the keel again, missed it and went almost all the way to the stern, came back and chipped the last barnacle off. I used 1000 lbs of air.

Bob discovered that the depth sounder had another problem - instead of the wires screwing into a socket they were just taped together. The marina store had the materials to fix it. While we were doing this, Max and Lucette biked into town. They discovered it was uphill all the way. There is a museum in town which is supposed to be interesting but they didn't go (they are not museum people). We heard many people in trouble on the radio, and the CG asked one of them if he had flares, so Bob looked at ours and found they were expiring next month. He was able to replace these too with ones that are good until 2004. Bob grilled salmon and we had salad, new potatoes and green beans for dinner.

Saturday 27 October 2001

Winds were supposed to abate today, and they didn’t. Max walked into town and got a Washington Post and milk. We sat around listening to the VHF

Our bunk - Bob asleep on the right

and watching the TV in the boater’s lounge. Max and Lucette went into town and got pizza for dinner. We are intending to maybe go to Yorktown tomorrow, or if the winds are favorable maybe we can get all the way to Salt Ponds.

We finally decided to bite the bullet and go regardless of the weather. It looked like it wouldn't be so bad today.

I was at the helm. The GPS hooked to my computer wasn't acquiring satellites,

Computer box

and while I was trying to fix it, I ran us suddenly hard aground (having temporarily forgotten that going out the creek red is on the left). The boat stood on its nose, which threw Lucette who was below onto the floor and gave her a big goose egg on the head. Max and I were in the cockpit, and it didn't affect us too much. I thought it was kind of interesting. Bob was on the stern, and he was mad.

In the bay, winds were 17-21 knots all day and gusting up to 29 and the waves were 4-6 feet, fortunately on the quarter so it wasn’t too bumpy a ride, but no one felt much like eating breakfast. On the radio, heard that someone lost their dink (like we lost the solar panel last spring coming north).

Bob thought we could get all the way down to Hampton and maybe stay at the Old Pt. Comfort Marina again, but I couldn't get them on the phone. At first it was because they've changed the exchange to 788 (not the area code as I thought at first, just the exchange), and then when I finally contacted them, I was informed that because of 9-11 they are not taking transients at all, so we couldn't go there anyway.

Spider at the entrance to the river

I was still a bit uncomfortable with the weather, so we went into the York River,

Rt 17 York River Bridge

and stayed across from Yorktown just down from the fixed Rt. 17 bridge at York River Yacht Haven in Sarah Creek (out of sight on the right of the photo above). The chart shows our track into the marina and the bridge is on the left side of the chart. We mostly sailed, and did 46 nm at an average speed of 6 knots.

Track to the marina

York River Yacht Haven was $1.25 a foot plus electricity was $5.40. They had showers and laundry facilities and a pool. I never found the TV room and internet cafe place that they said they had. The store was mostly souvenir type stuff. We did get fuel there.

Marinas and anchorages in Sarah Creek

Sarah Creek (#25 on the map)

If you are feeling vigorous, you can walk about 2 miles to Yorktown. Or if not, the marina can arrange transportation for you.

Marina from farther up Sarah Creek

We ate at the River's Inn Restaurant, which was a very fancy restaurant with prices to match. Bob had she-crab soup and an appetizer, and I had the Blue Plate special, and we drank iced tea, and the bill was over $41.00. They did give us wooden nickels for 50 cent draft beers which Max and Lucette used.

Monday 29 October 2001

Today we left the marina and had motored out into the York River by 8:40. We motored down to Norfolk and were passing Fort Monroe by 1300

Ft Monroe and Old Point Comfort Lighthouse

Norfolk shoreline

There were all kinds of restrictions about being within 100 yards of any Navy ship (which Norfolk is full of)

Tug_going_past_Navy_docks

but there was no particular problem with getting past the Norfolk Navy yards - heard people being chastised for their wakes - a lot of barge traffic and little boats patrolling around the navy ships. We went to Waterside again.

This is where the Mileage of the Intercoastal Waterway begins - MM 0 is at Hospital Point right across the River from us. The mileage is in statute miles and not nautical miles which are a little longer. From here on, the final mileage marker will be the distance we have gone from Norfolk Mile Marker Zero.

Bob forgot to pack more than one pair long pants, so when we went to dinner in Norfolk, instead of eating right at Waterside, we walked to the mall. He looked in Nordstroms but didn't think the pants there were good enough quality or cheap enough. We ate there at Max & Erma's which is a chain that our friends were familiar with. It is a dark wood /steakhouse/bar kind of place. Food was good, but I don't remember much else about it. They have burgers, steak and BBQ.

Max and Erma's sign

They had a 'gluten free' menu, and kids eat free on Tuesday.I think I might have had something like:ERMA'S MEATLOAFA thick slice of homemade meatloaf and mashed potatoes smothered in our rich gravy. Served with buttered corn. $9.29 The total bill for the two of us was $30.22 including the tip.

We walked back past the McArthur Memorial which I remembered from when Bob was stationed in Norfolk in 1963 - I didn't realize that was so far downtown.

I downloaded email in the dockmaster's office and talked to folks on the dock. It was much quieter than the last time we were there. We found out from talking to folks that the Dismal Swamp Canal WAS still open, but only for the first and last locking of the day - 9 and 3:30. To get to the first lock by 9 and through all the bridges in Norfolk with restricted hours, we will have to be on our toes and leave early. Lucette made a bunch of phone calls, but everyone had gone home for the day.

Tuesday 30 October 2001

We cast off from Waterside at 6:49 - we wanted to get to the Jordan Lift Bridge as soon as the hours were unrestricted at 7:30.

Jordan Lift Bridge

Going under the Jordan Lift Bridge

Looking up at the bridge tender's cabin

Looking back

By the time we got to the bridge there were 12 other monohull sailboats, a catamaran, 2 tugs and a number of power boats waiting. He opened the bridge at 7:25. We went on down and through the second lift bridge which was a railroad bridge. This bridge is open most of the time.

Railroad lift bridge

Boats waiting

Then we went on down to the Gilmerton Bridge, which was restricted until 8:00. Oops - there's a train going across the railroad bridge just behind the Gilmerton Bridge so there is no point in his opening yet.

Gilmerton Railroad bridge

He finally opened the bridge at 8:05, and we were through by 8:11

Going through the Gilmerton bridge

Highway bridge (tall enough not to need to be lifted and if you do need a lift you have to give them 24 hours notice)

We turned into Deep Creek at 8:26.

Following a boat to the lock

Most of the boats went on to the VA cut. It was very peaceful and still in the creek.

Deep_Creek

We arrived at the lock before 9, and there were 8 boats waiting. to lock through

Approaching Lock

We had a very chatty lock tender, not the lady we had before. We were the 6th boat, and the first one on the port side with a trawler named WHIPLASH and a little sailboat named FIREFLY behind us.

Deep_Creek_Lock_starboard_side

We locked through

Lock_tender and water coming into the lock

and got down to the bridge at about 10:30. There was a sailboat and three trawlers at the free dock on the other side of the lock, and they went through the bridge first. There was a big floating island of debris in the middle of the bridge - grass growing on it which made people a little skittish.

We motored down the canal to the Visitor's Center. Lucette told me to re-enact Kate Winslet on the bow of the Titanic but I hadn't seen the movie (still haven't).

Re-enacting the Titanic on our boat

The canal was beautiful although there were a large number of logs (or maybe dead bodies - we couldn't see them), which raised up from the bottom to hit the hull. Many of the old cedar pilings have ferns, grass and other plants growing out of them.

Stump

Portable bridge

Looking down the Dismal Swamp Canal

Fence stumps

Side of the canal

Looking down the canal

We got to the Visitor's Center by 1:30. There were two sailboats and two power boats there already - all but one sailboat had been with us at the Deep Creek Lock.

The one who wasn't with us was VAGABOND a Canadian boat and when he went to leave the dock this morning, he completely lost his transmission so he couldn't go anywhere.We rafted on a Gozzard 46 named TROUBADOUR. Ahead of us were two trawlers and JOLIE DAME. Later, FIREFLY came in and rafted on JOLIE DAME. When we started to raft up, Bob said to wait and not to try to jump to the Gozzard, but Max tried to jump anyway, and missed his footing and almost fell in. He landed very heavily on his rib cage and was very badly bruised- now both of our guests have been injured.

Rafted boats at the Visitor's Center

Some of the folks went down to the South Mills lock and went through at the 3:30 locking. Since Elizabeth City was 19 miles past the South Mills lock, we saw no point in pushing it because we didn't want to run the upper Pasquotank River after sunset at 5.

This is the only visitor's center that can be accessed both by road (US Rt. #17) and by boat (the Dismal Swamp Canal). The mileage is marked in statute miles (not nautical miles) from Hospital Point in Norfolk to Key West FL. The Visitor's Center is 28 miles from Norfolk by water. and 22 miles from the Deep Creek Lock

After dark, we saw a spotlight up the canal, and some folks that went through on the 3:30 locking had come down the canal in the dark. We heard someone call "Hey RosalieAnn from Leonardtown, can we raft on you? We're from Leonardtown too." It was a trawler named DUNFLYN. Bob offered to tow VAGABOND to the lock, since he couldn't seem to get anyone to come help him with his transmission. They are closing the canal completely on Friday.