Thursday, May 9, 2013

Week 32: May 8- 14, 2014 (Day 218-224):


Week 32:

Wed. May 8, 2013— Day 218:
Destination:  Goat Island (Mile 43) to Waterside Marina, Norfolk (Mile 0)
Departure:  0600 hrs.                              Arrival:  1530 hrs.                                      Distance:  43 SM
Winds:  undeterminable in protected Dismal Swamp Canal, S in Norfolk
Weather:  mix of sun & cloud, then dark clouds & rain late afternoon, cool in am but pleasant in pm

Goat Island at Dawn
Along the Pasquotank River After Sunrise
Dismal Swamp Canal in the Spring

No surprises during the night; the clear skies & stars remained with us.  It was so picturesque with glass like clam water & a beautiful colour to the morning sky.  We carried a speed of 6K motoring along our 10.5 mi.  route to South Mills Lock for the 1st opening of the day at 0830 hrs.; we were 55 mins.  early.  Five northbound boats locked in at 0830 hrs. & locked out at 0905 hrs.  We had 3-1/2 hrs. to travel the 21.1 mi. distance past the NC Welcome Center to the Deep Creek Bridge (bascule) at 1330 hrs.  We slowed our boat speed a few times, taking in the pristine, scenic environment surrounding us; we saw 1 eagle, 5 brown turtles sunning on a log, ducks & birds of course & gently hit a couple of logs on the canal floor.  With 1 mile before the bridge & an hour remaining, the bridge tender/lock master hailed us & said he was opening the bridge for 3 southbound sailing boats he had locked through early & would allow any northbound boats to take advantage of the bridge opening if we desired, but we would have to wait for the regular schedule time of 1330 hrs. for the lock opening & could tie up at Elizabeth’s Dock, a 200 ft. wooden dock on the west bank with 8 ft. water depths just before the lock.  And so we did, then locked in at 1338 hrs. & locked out at 1405 hrs.  The lockmaster coached us with the info that with <30 min. remaining we would have to maintain a minimum of 6K to make the Gilmerton Bridge (new lift) opening at 1430 hrs. (opens every hour on the ½ hour).  Well, we barely made it at 7K & the bridge tender was generous with his opening length of time, even the 2 slower sailboats behind us made it.  Thank you!  And the Deep Creek lockmaster hailed us to say he knew we could do it & how pleased he was for us all!  We followed a tug & barge along the shipping channel past the naval boats & cranes at a reduced speed to our turn off at Waterside Marina.  We did it again—making an arrival at the same time as the Loppers Convention; the marina was jammed with trawlers till Friday, so we were tied up at the one & only possible spot left, on the bulkhead right at the entrance of the marina.  Once electricity & water source were hooked up, we got to scrubbing the cockpit from the dodger to the transom with pinesol, scrub brushes of every size & rags  & all the fresh water we wanted X 2-1/2 hrs.  when the rain settled in for a while.  That area looked better & the stench was somewhat better; we will tackle the transom in the morning.  Supper at Hooters as it was close by, it was rain & most importantly was NHL playoffs are under way so an opportunity to watch.  We went from totally perfect peacefulness last night to the noisy industrial sounds of Norfolk tonight; what a difference 24 hrs. can make.  A cloudy evening & night with periodic showers.

Thurs. May 9, 2013— Day 219:
Destination:  Norfolk (Mile 0)
Winds:  W 5-8K
Weather:  glorious, beautiful warm sun & few clouds later in the day only

One of Norfolk's RR Bridges
Waterside Park
This was one of those perfect weather days that is the reason why you do this kind of adventure & say, “wow, I could do this for the rest of my life”.  I still want to be home more though after all this time.  Winds were west & light, not the predicted SW & light; hope this holds true for our passage tomorrow.  Graeme started cleaning the transom before 0700 hrs. while I prepared breakfast, a relaxed one this fine morning.  Once the transom was done I spent time doing the tedious job of cleaning the stern enclosure windows from all the hardened slim from the flies; 2/3 done in the am & the last 1/3 was done in the later afternoon.  Oh, then lovely long showers, followed by a pleasant walk up Granby St. X 1-2 mi. to Virginia Beach Blvd., past Harrison Opera House that was under construction in the Fall, then back via Monticello through Norfolk Scope (semi pro hockey arena) & Chrysler Hall to MacArthur Center (shopping mall).  Downtown Norfolk looked inviting, beautiful, clean, green, alive with roses in bloom, irises finishing there blooming, magnolias in bud waiting to burst, Fall construction completed & a general revitalization of this entire area!  Time for lunch, without question at Granby St. Pizza for ½ stromboli each + 1 as a takeout.  Peter (owner) recognized us immediately & told us of his wooden kayak building night course & proudly showed pictures.  We returned to the boat & cleaned the last window panel, but the worse in my estimation & put all the cleaning supplies away, anticipating an early morning departure.  I hope all this cockpit & transom cleaning will aid in the cleaning required back in Deltaville to but ‘Sweet Chariot Too’ in good & proper shape for summer storage.  Sens were playing Montreal tonight; they lead the series 3:1 & Graeme insisted in watching our team, so I guess leftovers wait another night & I get another free meal.  The evening weather in this seaport was magnificent & the night was just as great, calm & stars in the night sky. 
Norfolk Scope
P.S.  We did not jinks the Sens; they won 6:1 & thus won the series 4 games to 1!!! On to the round 2 of the playoffs! 

Utilities Payment Depositor

                    
Thurs. May 9, 2013—Day 219:
Destination:  Norfolk (Mile 0)
Winds:  W5-8K
Weather:  glorious, beautiful warm sun & few clouds later in the day only

Mr. & Mrs. Tourist at Waterside Boardwalk
LRT in Norfolk
This was one of those perfect weather days that is the reason why you do this kind of adventure & say, “wow, I could do this for the rest of my life”.  I still want to be home more though after all this time.  Winds were west & light, not the predicted SW & light; hope this holds true for our passage tomorrow.  Graeme started cleaning the transom before 0700 hrs. while I prepared breakfast, a relaxed one this fine morning.  Once the transom was done I spent time doing the tedious job of cleaning the stern enclosure windows from all the hardened slim from the flies; 2/3 done in the am & the last 1/3 was done in the later afternoon.  Oh, then lovely long showers, followed by a pleasant walk up Granby St. X 1-2 mi. to Virginia Beach Blvd., past Harrison Opera House that was under construction in the Fall, then back via Monticello through Norfolk Scope (semi pro hockey arena) & Chrysler Hall to MacArthur Center (shopping mall).  Downtown Norfolk looked inviting, beautiful, clean, green, alive with roses in bloom, irises finishing their blooming, magnolias in bud waiting to burst, Fall construction completed & a general revitalization of this entire area!  Time for lunch, without question at Granby St. Pizza for ½ stromboli each + 1 as a takeout.  Peter (owner) recognized us immediately & told us of his wooden kayak building night course & proudly showed pictures.  We returned to the boat & cleaned the last window panel, but the worse in my estimation & put all the cleaning supplies away, anticipating an early morning departure.  I hope all this cockpit & transom cleaning will aid in the cleaning required back in Deltaville to but ‘Sweet Chariot Too’ in good & proper shape for summer storage.  Sens were playing Montreal tonight; they lead the series 3:1 & Graeme insisted in watching our team, so I guess leftovers wait another night & I get another free meal! The evening weather in this seaport was magnificent & the night was just as great, calm & stars in the night sky. 
P.S.  We did not jinks the Sens; they won 6:1 & thus won the series 4 games to 1!!! On to the round 2 of the playoffs!

Fri. May 10, 2014—Day 220:
Destination:  Norfolk (Mile 0) to Deltaville—Norton’s Yachts (Mile 152.6)
Departure:  0558 hrs.                              Arrival:  1410 hrs.                                Distance:  52.6 SM
Winds:  W to light & variable
Weather:  very sunny, warm & blue skies

One of Several Huge Freighter

Thimble Shoal Lighthouse
The morning alarm came very early, especially since I didn’t get to bed till midnight.  I was surprise I slept so well in anticipation of one more step closer to home!  It took us 1 hour & 35 min. to reach G1ER marker (Tunnel Bridge) from the marina, following & passed by the usual huge freighters & container ships traffic along the Elizabeth River.  And at 0815 hrs. we reached Thimble Shoal Lighthouse.  Despite our cleaning efforts, the cockpit still had a faint offensive odour from those damn May flies.  I had hoped that we would see dolphins today, as we had not seen any for several days, since Beaufort, N.C.  And I was not disappointed; my day was made when we sighted 3-4 frisky ones close by.    A number of trawlers from the Loppers Convention were also on the move making their way to Dozier’s Regatta Point Marina, several sailboats added to the lot + 5 large southbound freighters were seen on the horizon.  While the winds were blowing from the west at 8K we were able to sail, but then they became light to calm & variable.  The Bay chop was quite calm with an occasional rolling wave from an unknown source.  I actually got my bathing suit on & read lying on the deck X a couple of hours before my turn at the helm;  the last time I’ve done that was in the Exumas the later part of Feb.!  Then Home Sweet Home, at least for the boat!  Seven months, 32 weeks or 210 days from the date of departure!  After fuelling up we moved & tied up to a long finger slip on the new docks.  And the packing up immediately began; water & fuel jerry cans were removed from the life lines, 99.9% of my clothes & paraphanalia were packed, all the charts & guide books except for the Chesapeake + marine catalogues were packed & moved to the car.  Graeme called Boat US (insurance) to say we were back in the Chesapeake & now qualified for a refund.  A  quick shower after supper, then the inventory was done of the head & port side of the main cabin.  It was too late & I was too tired to continue.  We hope the weather holds the next 2 days so we can get the exterior boat cleaning done, as we are making a real ambitious effort to depart Mon. to visit friends in Annapolis, then finish the drive home Tues.  I missed the sunset, but a clear sky & stars tonight with mostly calm SSW winds with frequent gusts.

Sat. May 11, 2013—Day 221:
Destination:  Deltaville (Mile 152.6)
Winds: who cares!  N & light
Weather:  heavy clouds, T-storm & rain to start then a mix of sun & cloud, warm almost humid

At Norton's Yacht Sales Yard
Happy 50th Birthday Dave!
A warm night & warm day; naturally, cruising is finished & it is cleaning time!  I woke up this morning tired before even getting out of bed.  There was a long list of work ahead of us.  While the t-storms & rains fell I continued with a thorough inventory of the starboard side of the main cabin, including washing the storage areas with a mixture of Clorox, pinesol & water, a time consuming project.  The ceilings, walls, shelves & a few widely used storage compartments below the floor boards were also thoroughly washed.  Graeme worked outdoors cleaning the stubborn deck stains once the rains stopped, hosed down the carpet runner & made a few trips into town; The Ships Tailor does not clean canvass.  I finally started the laundry at mid afternoon X 6 hrs., washing our duvet, all the boat curtains & decorative cushion covers & terry seat covers.  Cloud cover at sunset but gave way to clear skies & some stars for the night.

Sun. May 12, 2013—Day 222:
Destination:  Deltaville (Mile 152.6)
Weather:  rain followed by a mix of sun & clouds & fresh temps

Norton's Yacht Sales

Happy Mother’s Day!
I attended the 0900 hrs. Mass at Church of the Visitation, less than 15 min. drive; so very warm & friendly!  That gave Graeme the opportunity to start the engine oil change.  Larry called to say they would not be driving up to see us as Lynn was not felling well.  Since it was warm & fairly sunny I worked on polishing the stainless & somewhat rearranged the things already packed in the car, while Graeme completed the oil change.  He insisted going to West Marine, a bad move, as I bought a few more new clothing items, some of which were on sale.  Graeme changed the black spring-loaded mooring lines to the original mooring lines; in retrieving these lines from the storage area by the transom, he discovered this area was inundated with the dead carcasses of May flies.  The area was hosed down which immensely helped with the residual stench.  Some clouds at sunset but a red hue patch was visible.  The breeze was light & fresh from the north.

Mon. May 13, 2013—Day 223:
Destination:  Deltaville to Annapolis
Weather:  Mainly sunny, few clouds but cool with increased winds by evening

The Buckleys
Graeme started the morning with an early meeting with Ian, the service manager for Norton’s, with a list of things that need attention, repairs, etc. which I’m sure will add up to an expensive bill.  Remember how I started this blog way back in October 2012-- a definition of a sailboat is a hole in the water, surrounded by fiberglass, that you throw money into!  He also brought the side & back enclosure panels to UK Sails for cleaning ($7.00/ lb.); the bimini & dodger will have to be done at a later time + all will need to be waterproofed with 303.  In the meantime I prepared the supper that we were providing tonight with our friends in Annapolis.  After a pleasant 3 hrs. drive we spent an enjoyable evening catching on each others’ news & even a boat tour of some of the other creeks we were not familiar with off the South River.  A cool windy evening & night, but a wonderful sleep in a real bed.

Tues. May 14, 2013—Day 224:
Destination:  Annapolis to Deltaville
Weather:  cloudy, cool & few showers

Home Sweet Home!
Charlie cooked us a great breakfast before we said our goodbyes, wishing all a great summer, then went our separate ways, arriving back at the boat at noon.  Yup, we feel we can finish the major remaining projects & be off tomorrow & before the upcoming long weekend both in Canada & the US.  Graeme purchased & delivered his gifts of beer & rum to the service & office departments respectively.  I thoroughly scrubbed the shower & head, V-berth & aft cabin ceilings, walls, shelves with Clorox & pinesol + defrosted & emptied the freezer & fridge & we both finished packing the car—not a hole to spare.  Departure is now unavoidable & inevitable.
Although tired we enjoyed a pizza dinner & thought of our Sens playing their 1st game against Pittsburg Penquins in Round II of the hockey playoffs; Sens lost.  The alarm was set for a very early morning start.



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