We got away the following morning at daybreak, held our breath as we glided under the 55' bridge with our 53' mast (!!), and entered the Cape May canal, essentially saving ourselves about 2 1/2 hours by not sailing around the Cape. As we entered the Delaware Bay, the day was dawning cloudy with 10 - 15 knot west winds and the flood current in our favour, so enjoyed a fast sail up the Bay towards the C and D (Chesapeake and Delaware) Canal which links the top of the two bays. It may have been due, in part, to the cloudy, rainy weather we experienced sailing up the Delaware, but neither of us was really too impressed with the Delaware Bay. It is a wide, shallow bay with low-lying land to the east and west of it, so not a lot to see. The only thing we saw, actually, was a nuclear plant just before the C and D canal, which did nothing to change our perception of the Bay!!
The only other thing we really noticed that day were all the other 'snowbirds' sailing and motoring toward the canal with us!!! We had met a couple in Cape May, and seen a couple of others anchoring in the entrance to the harbour, but today we saw probably 10 to 15 other boats, all going the same direction we were!!! We had originally planned to stay the night on the canal at Chesapeake City where there was a free dock, but we started to get a little 'gun shy' as a result of all these other boats, most of them traveling faster than us, so decided to stop, instead, at Summit North Marina, about five miles east of Chesapeake City, but still on the canal. We were concerned about our time, as there were heavy winds and small craft warnings out for the next day on the Chesapeake and there didn't appear to be any marinas or anchorages outside of the canal on the Chesapeake side that would offer the protection we were going to need if we couldn't stop on the canal, so decided discretion was the better part of valour, as we didn't want to risk finding 'no room at the inn' at Chesapeake City!! As it turned out, Summit North was a huge, but very quiet marina, sitting on the edge of a state park, so a nice place to stop, wash down the boat, and go for a walk in the woods! There was a 10 mile path that stretched on either side of the marina, and with the cool air, sunny skies, and fall colours it made for a nice walk!
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| Fall colours and relaxing vultures (!!) at Summit North |
The next day didn't really blow the way we expected it to, but the forecast was bumped forward to the following day, so we decided to hang tight yet another night. Sure enough, the next day was really windy, even on the canal, so we were glad we held on. However, the following day, the SAME forecast again!....high winds with a small craft advisory 'tomorrow' with lighter winds 'the next three days'....this was now our third day in a row of that forecast where everything kept moving to the right! So we decided to leave the next day anyway, as the winds were going to be northerlys, which would push us in the right direction anyway!
The next morning, sunny and cold, we set off to finish transiting the canal and headed in to the beautiful Elk River, out toward the Chesapeake Bay. The winds did not disappoint! They started out at the predicted 10 - 15 knots, gusting to 25. The Wyvern likes a strong wind and sails well in it, so we made good time to our planned dockage in Tolchester, on the east side of the top of the Chesapeake. The winds had picked up to 20 knots by the time we arrived, and the shallow waters of the Chesapeake blow up to steep, short, choppy waves with the wind, so taking down the sails and then entering the breakwater to the harbour was an adventure. We christened the keel of the Wyvern on the Chespeake mud going through the breakwater entrance, as the troughs between the waves were more shallow than the the six foot 'low water' charted depth. Fortunately, we just touched, so were able to continue to plow through without actually getting stuck, and then once in the harbour, all was quiet, as far as the water was concerned! This was our first marina without floating docks, so we brought out the fender boards we had been lugging around since clearing all the locks (and I had been cursing as yet more stuff on the deck I had to work and clean around!!).....and they worked GREAT! We ended up staying in Tolchester two nights, as the second day was blowing almost 30 knots, so by the time we left after our second night, the fender was pretty beaten up by the dock posts, but the boat was unscathed!!
Here are a few pictures transiting the C and D canal.
We made sure we left Tolchester at high tide, as the winds and waves were high again the morning we left, but not predicted to blow more than 15 knots, and other than getting thoroughly soaked a few times as we headed in to the waves, we made it through without touching the bottom!! The local sailors are pretty casual about plowing through the mud but this was a bit of a nervous first for us. By noon, the sun was out, and the wind and waves were down and we were finally enjoying the famous Chesapeake Bay and it's 'protected' waters! We sailed over to the west coast of the Bay, passing Annapolis, and headed toward Solomons Island at the head of the Patuxent River (just north of the Potomac). We nosed our way past a number of other south-bound sailors, and dropped anchor on the Mill Creek in Spring Cove, in time to enjoy a drink and the sunset in splendid isolation in flat calm water!! It was a lovely little spot! So quiet.....for the first time in about a week, no wind!!
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| Submarine and sailboats outside of Annapolis |
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| Spring Cove anchorage |
The next day we made a leisurely exit and planned a second anchorage on a second Mill Creek, this one off the Great Wicomoco River. However, en route, we heard a Pan-Pan (an 'I need help, but not in any immediate danger' call over the radio) involving a boat south of Tangier Island. Where is that we wondered??? We looked it up, and we were just a few hours away, it sounded quite inviting as we discovered it was one of the few remaining 'watermen' crab fishing villages on the Chesapeake! Well, we couldn't resist, so changed plans in mid-stream, as it were, and headed east again, toward Tangier Island. We arrived at Parks Marina where owner/operator Milton Parks helped us tie up and get our fender boards on (another fixed dock). Milton is 82 years young and has lived on Tangier Island all his life! After securing the boat, George and I went for a walk to explore the village and work up an appetite for the famous blue crab of the Chesapeake. Unfortunately, all the restaurants but one are now closed for the season, and that one was closed the night we were there!! All the same, we had a lovely walk around the village, where there are virtually no cars....I counted two trucks and a van....and everyone drives electric golf carts and/or bicycles! The harbour is a working harbour and the watermen of the village harvest blue crab, oysters, and we even spoke to one young man who was getting his traps ready for 'conching' in the southern end of the Chespapeake and just off the Virginian coast. There was lots of activity in the streets as people made their way home or to the post office; young kids playing football and basketball, or riding their bikes or scooters. The streets were all about the size of a large path...big enough for two golf carts to pass carefully!, and lined with houses surrounded by picket fences and chain link fences (a pastor of days gone by put in a 'modern' chain link fence and the faithful followers followed faithfully! Although, the picket fence is enjoying a return in popularity!!) We passed one building that told the story on a sign outside, of the town's only murder! Apparently, the town's deputy sheriff was sitting having his lunch, when someone shot and killed him through the window! The murderer was never found! We found that very strange, as this is a small, quiet village on a very small, otherwise uninhabited island. We continued to walk through the town, and found a second sign outside of a second house. This one tells the story that this was the home of the town sheriff. One day, he tried to enforce the town law of 'no loitering' on store fronts or porches on Sunday morning (this was, and still is, a Methodist community). He shot and injured a young man who stated he was buying ice cream for his sick mother! The sheriff admitted to shooting the boy and spent a couple of years in prison, then went back to Tangier Island as the deputy sheriff! Mystery Solved. No wonder the murderer was never found!! Anyway, the town was very pleasant while we were there, and everyone waved from their golf carts as they drove by! If anyone has access to an old National Geographic (1975??) magazine, there is an article about the village which you may find interesting!
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| Entrance to Tangier Island and Parks Marina, on the right |
Crab shacks along the entrance.
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| Crab seats!! |
Tangier village street scenes.
Unfortunately, we could only spend the one night there, as the weather was forecast for rain and high winds in two days, and we were two days away from the bottom of the Chesapeake and the entrance to the Elizabeth River and the Intra-Coastal Waterway, so we had to keep moving.
The next day we had light winds behind us all the way to Mobjack Bay on the west coast, where we found an anchorage in the Severn River (not the one Annapolis is on). It was a lovely, quiet anchorage, and the next morning we headed out for Hampton, Virginia. Hampton is a town on the Hampton River, on the north side of the Hampton Roads Bay, where Norfolk and the Elizabeth River are on the south side. This is the juncture of the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic, so it is a busy port with lots of maritime history associated with it! This area played a pivotal role in the Civil War, as Norfolk was controlled by the Confederates, and Hampton was controlled by the Unionists. There is still a large and impressive fort here, Fort Munroe, dubbed the 'Freedom Fort' by the slaves of the south. The commander at the time, Major General Benjamin Butler, had declared that three runaway slaves who had sought refuge at the fort from their owners, were 'contraband' for the unionist, taken from the confederates, like any other property, and if they wanted their 'property' back, they would have to join the Union. The owners refused, and the word quickly spread to the other slaves that they would be allowed to stay at Fort Munroe if they could get there. Many arrived and served the Union Army in many capacities, from actually signing up as a soldier, to working the land and the sea to provide food to the armies. Their descendants still live here today. As for the war itself, many important battles were fought, including the first 'ironclad' naval ship battle, fought in Hampton Roads Harbour. The Confederates were doing a good job at keeping the Union Army at bay with their ironclad ship, however, Lincoln finally got fed up with the stalemate, and essentially, ordered his men through the 'back door' where he ordered his men to land at Ocean View, where they broke through the confederate ranks and finally took Norfolk, leaving the entire Hampton Roads region under Union control.
These are some views of Fort Munroe and surrounding buildings as one enters Hampton Roads
These are a couple of homes along the Sunset Creek, where we docked.
We had made arrangements for dock space at the Sunset Boating Center at the end of the Sunset Creek, just off the Hampton River. We were greeted by two friendly staff; Cindy the manager, and Valerie. This is a working marina, but as you may have gathered by previous stops, we like working marinas! Often they are more relaxed and they have always been friendly and accommodating and Sunset did not disappoint! It is situated at the top of a quiet creek that runs alongside a lovely neighbourhood, where we started spotting new varieties of trees...a sure sign we are making our way south! It is an easy and pleasant walk in to the Old Town of Hampton, and we spent an interesting day at the museum, had a lovely dinner, (Seafood fettuccine for George and crab stuffed shrimp for me!), and then walked back to the boat and enjoyed all the little ghouls and gremlins that were out trick-or-treating! Also managed to get myself 'spooked' by a zombie who snuck up behind me while I was taking pictures of the great Halloween decorations at his house!!!
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| crepe myrtle tree |
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| rhododendron tree?? |
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| No crabbing allowed George!!! |
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| more crepe myrtles, downtown Hampton |
All in all, this has been a good stop to do some final engine checks, change fan belts, re-provision, and start to plan our trip down the ICW! Meanwhile, we have met an English couple who have been sailing their boat around the Pacific for the last five years,and are now on the Atlantic, heading to the Caribbean and have been sharing some of their stories with us! Also met a lovely man from Chicago who is in the process of getting his boat ready for he and his wife to sail south in a couple of years. They have been great company during our stay here. Wouldn't it be great to see them while we were in the Bahamas, or while plying our Great Lakes 'home' waters!
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