Home at Poughkeepsie Yacht Club - Up the beautiful Hudson River

Bear Mountain Bridge - at one time the longest in the world

We left the Haverstraw Anchorage around 7:15 and headed north. It was a beautiful day with calm winds, full sun and no rain in sight. Every time we return home we're reminded of how beautiful the Hudson River is. It was first explored by, you guessed it, Henry Hudson who at first thought he had found the northwest passage but it was not to be. It is a tidal river all the way to Albany, NY with tides of 3 to 4 ft and currents of 1 to 2 knots. If you happen to catch an ebb tide when going north, it can be a long day, plan ahead.

Storm King Mountain - a stunning sight rising directly from the river

Unfortunately, when we left Tuesday morning the ebb tide was just starting and we had the adverse tide all the way to PYC 7 hours later! Oh well, we enjoyed the sights along the Hudson. The countryside turns mountainous as you head north. Storm King mountain rises 1340 ft above the Hudson as it passes through a narrow channel between mountains.

Hudson River is the home of West Point

Also along the way is West Point, the Army Military Academy. At one time a chain was stretched across the river to prevent British boats going further north. Passing by you enter World's End, an S shaped in the river where depths of up to 160 ft are reached with near vertical sides to the river. Not fun to meet one of the many barges that ply the river.

Storm King on the left, looking north

The whole world was out fishing in the warm weather, we dodged many boats. Eventually we reached PYC and were greet by members on our dock to help us in. One of the great things about a club is the help that members give to each other, you don't get that in a marina.

Don't hug this marker!!

We are back now for the summer. We'll spend a couple of weeks in Long Island Sound in July and then start counting the days until the fall when we plan on heading south once again on September 15. So this blog now comes to an end. There may be some entries from our Long Island Cruise in July but the blog won't restart in earnest until 9/15 - be sure to tune back in then! Goodbye, it's been fun, especially for us.

Haverstraw Cove - at anchor

Welcome back to NYC!

Well, we had intended reaching PYC today but the tide did not turn north on time, it was at least two hours late and that put the arrival time at PYC after 7:30 pm, too late for our tastes. So when we reached Haverstraw Bay we looked at the ETA and where we were at and decided to duck into Haverstraw Cove, a protected anchorage with wind and wave protection from all directions.

The fishermen are still out

Other than the adverse tide, everything else was fine. We had some wind on the nose (what else is new?) but that was no big problem since we were on the river. The approach to the anchorage is not on the charts but we've been there before and have waypoints into the anchorage. You have to cross over a 5.5 MLW bar but that's no problem for our 4' 9" keel.

Inside the anchorage there's room for at least 50 boats in waters that are 15 to 25 ft deep with holding that's excellent in sticky mud. The only problem is that there's really no good shore access but there are deserted areas for pet relief.

In Haverstraw Cove, notice the rainbow

The downside of stopping today is the foul tide Tuesday morning, all the way to PYC. Oh well, we'll just set the throttle and let nature take its course northward. We'll reach PYC eventually. 

Atlantic Highlands - at anchor with John Kwak and Michelle

After a very long day, a nice sunset

We had a long way to go today for we left at 6:00 am, This time of the year we do have a lot of light, not like in the fall. We knew from past trips that it took at least 11 hours and usually 11.5 hours to reach the Atlantic Highlands anchorage from Atlantic City.

The waves were predicted to be around 3 ft but they were swells and not wind driven which makes a big difference. The swells do not present a problem as along as they are 8 seconds or so between crests but they do present a big problem to those trying to enter small inlets such as Big Egg - which was reported to have a solid line of breakers across the channel.

We'll leave on Monday around 7:15 and should have the tide with us all the way to PYC. We would expect to arrived around 6:00, we think if the flood tide is normal. Then we'll overnight on the boat and return to our house on Tuesday morning. It looks fine on the many webcams we have there but we'll see it in person tomorrow.

Atlantic City - we have dinner at the Charthouse

There are still breakers across the inlet, hope they subside by Sunday morning.....

Today was cool but sunny, much warmer than yesterday. Most of the day wa spent getting ready for our Sunday departure. There was some minor boat work (taking on water, dewatering the dinghy, etc.) but most of the time was spent looking and relooking at the various weather sources we use for decision time going north. The forecasts for Sunday have moderated towards light winds and reduced seas, down to 3 ft swells out of the southeast. Although they will be on the aft quarter, at least they are not 4 to 5 ft types as predicted earlier. 

Found in the backyard!

To celebrate our last day here, we had dinner at the Charthouse on the Golden Nugget. It's a very fine restaurant and I highly recommend it if you're ever in Atlantic City. It's on the third floor overlooking the marina, great view and the food can't be beat. 

Here's the story on that nugget, wow...

I'm sure I'll relook at the weather a dozen times before we leave in the morning but it looks very certain that we'll push off at 6:00 am and head north. It's about 83 miles to Atlantic Highlands and should take about 12 hours, maybe 11 if we're lucky with the tides. We'll overnight and then head out for PYC, going all the way on Monday to take advantage of the favorable tide going north. You can follow our progress by clicking on the link here. 

We say goodbye to Atlantic City at 6:00 am Sunday

Atlantic City - We visit the Boardwalk to see the waves

That sea is not for us - later

The wind has howled for the last 24 hours with gusts to 30 to 35 kts and seas from 7 to 9 ft! Needless to say, we are not going anywhere for awhile. So we took a Jitney to the Boardwalk to the Pier by Caesar's Palace. It's a mini shopping center located on a pier over the ocean, three stories tall. Up until now it's been the home of upscale shops (Tiffany's, Apple Store and all the ritzy places). Today it was disappointing. Half of the shops were vacant from our last visit in the fall. Tiffany's was still there but nobody was in the store. To top it all off, the laser light show with the dancing waters was no running either, bummer.

From the comfort of beach chairs, inside, with sand at our feet, we watch the waves

So we had lunch at our favorite eatery and enjoyed the view of the rough waters - and glad that we were not out in them. The have floor to ceiling view windows with beach chair and even some sand for your feet while you enjoy the view.

After lunch the front finally caught up with us and down came the rain, very heavy at times. I took a walk out to the anchorage area by the Coast Guard station to see how the boats were doing . There were three yesterday anchored out but only one today. I saw one come into the Golden Nugget docks, I don't know where the other one went. But there was one left and we was bouncing like a bucking bronco. Take a look at the video here to see if you would want to be in that anchorage during these conditions.

During one of the breaks, I ducked inside the Golden Nuggest, pretty but not for me

We continue to watch all of our weather inputs for signs of when we might be able to get a window to go north. Presently, it looks like Sunday is the least uncomfortable day. The wind is supposed to clock around from the southeast to out of the northwest which would have the wind off land, usually a good thing due to the limited fetch. However, we will still have some good sized swells from all the heavy winds out of the southeast over the last few days, 3 to 4 ft high. That makes for a quartering sea, the most nauseating kind of motion. Monday and Tuesday are even worse so it looks like Sunday is it, unless the forecast changes (again!)

Atlantic City - at the Golden Nugget docks

The Golden Nugget at night

At Cape May I normally take Hoolie into the beach by the Coast Guard station without a problem but this morning I saw a security guard waving at me frantically. He was clearly gesturing that I had to leave immediately. I guess I wasn't supposed to be there, so I left and hauled anchor quickly - didn't wait to see if they sent a launch out to give me a ticket.

Out the inlet we ran into fog off and on all the way to Atlantic City. Furthermore, the 10 kt winds turned out to be 10 to 15 with higher gusts and 4 to 5 ft waves from two directions. It was a very uncomfortable ride but we put all the sails out and motor sailed, averaging 8 kts going north, we wanted to get out of that mess as quickly as possible.

Looking across at a neighboring casino 

On Friday and Saturday, the winds are going to build even more with gusts to 30 kts and seas building to 7 to 8 ft. Needless to say, we'll be sitting right here until the waves subside. The forecast now looks like Sunday at the best, maybe later. I do not want to repeat today's weather over the 12 hour trip to Atlantic Highlands.

Cape May - at anchor

At anchor, waiting for a weather window

It was a wild ride today. It started out with great help from the marina crew in getting off. The entertainment was finding the path out over the bar without getting stuck. Naturally our departure was at dead low tide (what else?) but I made it out after seeing 5.4 ft on the depth sounder. Our traveling companion found a 7 ft path with his 6.5 ft keel so he did better than I did. Evidently, the path out is very narrow, stray just a little and you find the bottom.

Once out in Delaware Bay, we found visibility out to about 1/4 mile, better than we expected. We had to leave at 6:00 am (!!) in order to catch the outgoing tide before it turned against us. It runs up to 4 kts in flood mode and we needed an ebb tide to get down the bay. So we had the ebb tide long enough to get by the pinch points of maximum flood and started off down the bay in good measure.

However, the further down the bay we went, the rougher it got. The wind picked up higher than predicted (with a gust to 30 kts, what else is new?) but we had enough of an angle that we put up the sails and turned off the engine and still made 8.2 kts through the water. Our joy lasted 2.5 hours before the wind died some and we had to turn on the iron genny again. At least we got some good sailing in!

We are now at the most popular anchorage in Cape May by the Coast Guard Station. The holding is excellent, one of those places that's impossible to drag, especially with our anchor. We plan on leaving at 8:00 am Thursday morning, a more civilized hour for the crew and get into Atlantic City by 1:00 pm hopefully. If the predictions hold, we'll make the trip up the coast on Sunday and ride the tide up to PYC on Monday. John Kwak is with us and we plan to make the trip as a two boat fleet. 

Delaware City Marina - at a dock

John Kwak's boat - we have traveled together the last couple of days

We had intended anchoring in Chesapeake City but as we progressed and the weather continued to moderate and the storms stayed away, we decided to push on through the Delaware-Chesapeake Canal to a marina near the end, the Delaware City Marina. It's a marina built in the old part of the canal that's no longer used for traffic. It's one long dock with a waterway that's very narrow. Once you're docked, they turn the boat manually, using the strong current in the canal to rotate the boat so it's facing towards the entrance and ready to go in the morning.

You really have to pass one of these closely to appreciate their size!

However, on the way through the entrance, we had our first contact with Mother Earth this year. The channel in is very narrow and the sideways current strong. We were pushed off to one side and came to a halt. I rev'ed up the diesel and pointed the boat to what I thought was deeper water and eventually we made it in but not before plowing a pretty good furrow, churning up a lot of muddy water in the process, whew!

John Kwak took us all out to dinner to celebrate Michelle's birthday so we found Crabby Dick's. It had an excellent reputation and we found that it was well deserved. Many of their offerings are family recipes.

There's bad weather coming and the tides are not favorable for a normal, morning start down the Delaware Bay. So, we plan on pushing off Wednesday morning around 6::00 am. Unfortunately, that's also low tide, even lower than when we got stuck on the way in. Hopefully, we'll have a better idea of where the channel is when leaving, we ought to make it. On the other hand, Kwak made it in after us tonight and he draws 6' 6" so there's at least a 6' and better way in (John plowed through mud too). It ought to be stimulating, a good way to wake yourself up.

Annapolis - at a mooring

A fish trap, you see them all over the Chesapeake, not just by the shore but out aways

We got off at a good time, around 7:15 and headed north. We had yet again good traveling weather with winds out of the south at about 10 kts, not enough to really propel up but enough to add a few tenths along with the iron genny. By and by we reached the Annapolis mooring field and that's when the fun started.

The mooring balls are marked with either a yellow cover (for boats larger than 45 ft) or no cover (white ball) for other boats. So we called and was told to pick up a white mooring ball which we did. After tied up we were asked the mooring ball number. Oh no, said the office, pick up a white ball, we said it is white! Whereupon, nothing more was said. We went into town.

We explored downtown Annapolis, well kept, many small shops but no supermarket

Upon returning, we were told we had to move.The ball we selected was supposed to have a yellow cover and was for boats longer than 45 ft. I said you only had four boats in the entire mooring field and none on the 11 yellow balls, why can't I just stay here for the night? Oh no, rules are rules, you've got to move.

A call to the supervisor got no further so we moved and would have left but we had friends in the mooring field we wanted to visit tonight. So I gave a review on Active Captain concerning bureaucratic stupidity and a copy of the review to the Harbormaster - for all the good it will do. We'll never come back. Besides, they have once again raised their mooring ball price and now it's $35/night. By the way, the mooring field is about 10% occupied and if that continues, they'll get even less revenue than projected from the price increase. You can write the next chapter - they'll find out that the revenue is down below target so their fix will be to raise prices once again to make up the difference which will drive even more business away, you get the picture - that's bureaucracy for you - not what a privately owned  business would do since they actually have to make a profit.

Enough of that. We met up again with John and Michelle for dinner on their boat. John has just done a fabulous job on the rebuild of his boat, it looks terrific.They gave us dinner and wine, hard to beat. We're  both looking at the weather window to reach Atlantic City and it still looks like we can make it by Thursday noon. The weather turns sour by then and it looks like another waiting period in Atlantic City. We're not keen on going out in 6 to 8 ft waves which is what's predicted for Friday and later.

Solomons - at anchor

It seems like every marker has its osprey nest

We had 54 miles to travel today so we left uncharacteristically early (at least for us) at 7:00 am. For the most part we had winds around 10 kts and little wave action. Of course the wind was on the nose, certainly to be expected when you're in a sailboat. So we cranked up the iron genny and headed out.

Eventually there'll be nothing left...

Along the way we saw the eerie sight of the battleship used by the Navy for target practice. It's placed with its own forbidden area around it in the middle of the Chesapeake so nobody gets too close, marked right on the charts. The Navy will periodically close the entire eastern half of the Chesapeake when they have live target practice - but not today.

It's always fun to meet in a far away harbor

Arriving in Solomons, we saw John Kwak's boat, he had arrived several days earlier and took the time to rent a car and visit Washington, D.C. He has Michelle with him for crew and they are headed north on Monday for Annapolis, just like us. It looks like we have good weather for going north for the next few days and we'll take full advantage of it. We hope to reach Atlantic City by Thursday. Then the weather game will start and we'll look for a good day to go the 85 miles to Atlantic Highlands. 

Onancock - at the town dock

We're the second boat, very secure docks. That's Johnny Mo's restaurant to the right

Onancock is a small town but has the look of a typical New England town with its white houses and black shutters along with neatly kept lawns. It's a nice town to walk through. This morning we took advantage of the Farmers' Market which is held every Saturday morning and Ann stocked up on fresh vegetables, the rarest of commodities when cruising. Next door was a bakery so we bought donuts and pastries for our early departure Sunday morning.

These guys were going all day Friday, pounding in pilings with the attachment

Unfortunately, there's no supermarket within walking distance so we're still short of grapefruit. Ann got a call today from John Kwak, another member of the Poughkeepsie Yacht Club, and he's in Solomons after renting a car to explore Washington, D.C. We plan on reaching Solomons on Sunday afternoon and we'll join up with John there. On Monday, both of us will continue our trip north.

Today was a day of rain and storms with small craft advisories issued by the Coast Guard. Most cruisers are holed up waiting for  better weather - of which we are one. We've never found the Chesapeake particularity inviting, perhaps it's since we seem to hit at at the wrong time of the year.We'll shove off around 7:00, it's 54 miles to Solomons, a long day.

Onancock - at the city dock

Johnny Mo's Mallard's Restaurant in Onancock - Not to be missed!!

We were going to take on fuel this morning but when we called we found out that they were out of fuel! They were expecting a refill by noon but that was too late for us. So off we ventured and we ran into a dense fog about a mile out from the anchorage. We had our radar working as well as our AIS so we knew where the large ships were, handy since we had to cross several shipping channels.

However, when I took the wheel after a break I noticed that we were only making about 5.5 kts, much too slow for our 2300 rpm at which we normally run 7.3 kts. We were obviously dragging something. I slowed the boat down and then put it in reverse and I then saw a crab buoy float up beside the boat. We had been dragging a crab pot along with us to the east coast. Once free of the crab pot, we once again reached our 7.3 kts cruising speed. Neither one of us saw us catch the crab pot in the beginning.

Sushi Tuna, delicious

Eventually the fog lifted and we entered the long channel into Onancock, about 6 miles long. We had to take on fuel but we received no answer over the VHF and nobody answered the phone. On well, we docked by the fuel dock anyway and waited for someone to appear - about 1/2 hour later - they were out to lunch.

Eventually we docked for the night and then went to Mallard's for dinner, a restaurant not to be missed if you're even in the Onancock area! Johnny Mo is the owner and chef and he has extraordinary meals with our favorite being the crab cakes (only crab meat, no fillers!) with an appetizer of sushi tuna and a chocolate tort for dessert, yum.

It looks like we'll sit out Saturday here due to high winds and waves on the Chesapeake but Sunday looks  better and we hope to make it all the way to Chesapeake City by Tuesday if the weather forecasts hold (a forecast is not a promise, it's only a suggestion...)

Fishing Bay YC at Deltaville - at a free dock

The back side of the yacht club, facing the river

 For once reality met the forecast and they agreed! The water was smooth and the winds light out of the south so we headed north. We chose our usual first stop up the Chesapeake at the Fishing Bay YC. They offer a free dock for one night to any recognized yacht club and Poughkeepsie YC is one of those clubs. With the free dock comes electric and water as well as the use of the showers and heads and a place to walk Hoolie. They also have 15 Mbps WiFi for free, what's not to like?

Across the Atlantic and back - want to come?

The last time we here, we talked to one of the members who was planning to sail across the Atlantic in a rather small sailboat (pictured) and was proud of the fact that he did not have a motor - and furthermore - didn't want one. You can't even stand up in his boat, benches only, a traditionalist I guess. Well, he made the trip across the Atlantic successfully, was dismasted once and then returned, all in one piece. He had a crew of one for a total of two on board. Now I heard that he's going off again, this time to the Caribbean and back. The other members seem to think he's very good at sailing but I wouldn't want to go with him!

In full bloom down here

This is our fourth year of return visits so we know the dockmaster and he recognized the boat so we never have a problem coming in for a stay. If you do want to stay an extra day it's $1.50/ft. The yacht club has both a north and south exposure to water, rather unique. It's just a gorgeous place.

What a great day! (and priced right...)

We'll be here for just one day and on Friday head out for Onancock and a dinner at Johnny Mo's Dockside restaurant, our favorite restaurant in the Chesapeake. The marina there was just renovated last year and we'll probably stay two days since Saturday is not predicted to be very good with high winds and 2 to 3 ft waves, not good for the Chesapeake.

Downtown Hampton Public Piers - last day

Sandy Bottom Nature Park, we paid a visit, lots of live snakes on exhibit!

We still had a car for the day even though we didn't use it all that much. The entire morning and part of the afternoon was spent cleaning the boat. I had double waxed the part of the hull close to the water line and it kept the "ICW mustache" at bay for 8 months but the wax gradually wore away from all the mileage. Now we are once again getting the brown stain on the bow. Nevertheless, On/Off cleans it off in less than a couple of minutes but it takes a lot of preparation - you don't want to get any of that on you!

The Taphouse Bar, what a great place! Excellent food, good service - what more to want?

So with the use of On/Off and boat soap for the topsides and Ann's cleaning and vacuuming of the insides, we are once again a fairly clean boat. I have to qualify that and say that if I'm generous with myself, it may approach a 0.6 Sharman in the quality of the cleaning, certainly no higher. To celebrate we had dinner out at the Taphouse, an outstanding local bar - but the food is anything other than bar food. If you're even in Hampton, you've got to go there!

Oh, did I mention the list of beers on tap? Outstanding

Ann is doing more and more of the approaches, even the ones that can be difficult. The entry into a slip at this marina appears easy as pie - but it's not! We have yet to see one boat that made it on the first try. The problem is the sideways current, not really strong but enough to surprise you. Add to that the 1/2 length fingers so you really can't come in and snug up against a finger pier, they are too short. Ann did well.

If you believe the forecast, Thursday is to be a good day with light winds out of the south and a high of 82. If it turns out that way, we'll head north to Adamsville for one night. The whole week looks good for heading north but then we've seen that forecast before - they generally deteriorate when the future meets the present.

Hampton Downtown Public Piers - at a dock

You will encounter some marinas that offer free herbs as grown by the dockmaster, this marina is one 

With a charge of only $1.25/ft per day, this place is a real bargain. You are within walking distance of several downtown restaurants, notably. The Taphouse.  They have 20 to 30 beers on tap and serve basic food, good but basic. Besides, you go there for the beer selections. We'll be going there on Wednesday night.

If you want to see the local sights on the water, this boat goes out several times a day

Today was provisioning day with a visit to the nearest Walmart. Despite everything else, they always have the lowest prices and that counts for a lot along the ICW when we buy things in quantity. And, not by just a little but sometimes you can save $1 to $2 on a $5 dollar item in the food section on the identical brand and quantity from a local supermarket. After awhile, that adds up so we go.

Our marina is just in front of the large building to the left of the bridge

We had a boat pull out this morning but later returned after encountering 2 to 3 ft waves on the bow heading north. We had decided to wait for a south wind before going north, we want comfort! Such a wind is due Thursday with a high of 84 which is quite a contrast from today's high of 66. As usual, when presented with the opportunity, we did a wash. The marina here only has one washer and one dryer but they work well. On Wednesday we plan on exploring the area after cleaning the boat in the morning. The weather looks good for the next week for going north and we'll take advantage of the opportunity.

Hampton, Virginia - at a dock

There's a beautiful street nearby with lots of restaurants and shops along it

Our overnight stay at the free dock was uneventful. The wind was pushing us into the dock but not that much so we selected to put the boat in reverse with a line from the aft cleat to the mid cleat on the dock. Well, it worked to a degree. It was enough to leave the dock but I had wanted more of an angle. I think I led the line too far forward and that prevented the bow moving further away from the dock, live and learn. 

The Gilmerton Bridge has been in upgrade mode now for 5 years! Rumor has it that it's to be finally completed by August of 2014 - but I don't believe it! It's closed for the morning and evening rush hours so we made the first opening at 9:30 am today. 

The slips are not full length so you have to be very careful in docking, Ann did well

There are a tons of Navy ships undergoing refitting and repairs in the Norfolk shipyards. They are all guarded by boats with blinking blue lights, you aren't allowed to get too close. As you pass by, far out in the channel, you are shadowed by one of the boats with the blinking blue lights, eerie. 

We'll rent a car for the next two days and provision and explore the area. The weather during that time looks more like New York than Virginia with highs barely breaking 60! We've gotta slow down...

At a free dock south of Hampton

The approach to the south lock

 We headed for the Dismal Swamp Lock at 8:30 intending to make the 11:00 opening but it was not to be. We found the lock to be full! The lockmaster was good enough to add another opening for the two boats that couldn't fit in the first opening. That's the first time that's ever happened to us in four years. I think there are definitely more boaters out than the last four years. When we passed the visitors' center at 12:30, it was already two deep and then on the way north we were passed by six boats headed south! That visitors' center is going to be one busy place.

Imagine having to walk through this swamp?

With the delay in getting through the lock (we didn't pass through until 12:15 for a lock that was scheduled for 11:00! So we had to hustle north to make the 3:30 lock opening at the other end which we barely made. Along the way we had the usual knocks against the keel, 9 in all that we counted. None were too dramatic but you noticed them all. We thought the canal in general was about a foot deeper than normal but we still had the hits.

We docked for the night at this free dock, we were by ourselves

The Dismal Swamp itself was magnificent as usual. It's a beautiful ride but photos do not do it justice. As noted, we didn't stop this time at the visitor's center but just continued on. There are free docks just before rejoining the ICW. They are well kept and new but can be noisy due to the nearby interstate.

Ann did her usual magic, salmon ala Ann

We even had a sunset!

On Monday we're headed for Hampton for 3 to 4 days, depending upon the weather which is predicted to turn colder until Thursday. So with that we plan on moving again when the weather warms up on Thursday.

Elizabeth City - at a free dock

Not a pretty picture, sorry about that - Fuzzy Bills

We headed out in good cheer, a fine day, almost no wind which is not a bad thing in crossing Albemarle Sound - or so we thought. After passing through the last of the buoys leaving the Alligator River into the Sound we noticed a few familiar looking insects on the back window, ut ho. A couple of years ago we made the mistake of anchoring in one of the remove anchorages right by the Albemarle Sound and woke up in the morning with a boat covered in Fuzzy Bills, a form of midge fly. They look like mosquitoes but they don't bite. However, they only live for the day and when they die, they leave a thick, green stain on the fiberglass which took me about five hours to clean off, ugh.

Ann is everybody's friend, he's the yard security guy

These insects looked like the same variety. So, trying to be proactive, I started shooing them off the boat and by using my handheld zapper (which gives off a very satisfying sizzle when dispatching a target, they really work!). But to no avail, there seemed to be an infinite supply - everything was covered as we sped across the Sound. It wasn't until halfway up the Elizabeth River that I started making headway. I figured that if I got them off the boat before they expired, I at least wouldn't get the green slime disease.

It's a free dock but they want you to patronize a local restaurant and leave a report

Such are the exciting times one gets while cruising. We listened to all the boaters crossing the Sound today and they all had the same problem There are four boats docked here, all four were covered with the Fuzzy Bills. We recovered enough for lunch out and went back to the boat for our 5:00 wine party, we thought we earned it.

We're headed through the Dismal Swamp today and will stop at the free dock just beyond the last Dismal Swamp lock and be in Hampton the next day. It's supposed to turn colder down here over the next few days. Everybody we've talked to has complained about the abnormal winter, all up and down the ICW, much colder than normal, must be global warming.....