Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. This is a very different holiday for Dave and me. The family is far away and I miss them as I do everyday. I can picture everyone preparing for the feast, baking, cooking, cleaning, but this year we won't be a part of it. We have every reason to give thanks and we do everyday. I am thankful for my family and their understanding our wanting to go away for the winter. I am thankful for our health and the health of our loved ones. I am thankful for my husband, his uniqueness, his love of boats and his support of me. I think I'm the one who talked him into leaving our home and hitting the waterways. If I'd said, "No way" we never would have left. So this Thanksgiving I am cooking shrimp and fluke along with veggies from my garden: squash, tomatoes and potatoes. My oven is too small to roast a turkey and since we wanted to do something different this year, why not go all the way. I bought local fresh shrimp yesterday and my oh my aren't they just wonderful. We've had them a number of times since we landed in Oriental. One of the local fishermen gave us a pound right from his boat and we've eaten them at local restaurants. I had coconut shrimp the other night, wow was that something. I've got to find the receipt. As you may have guessed we are still in Oriental, NC. We've studied the charts and it seems because our boat draws 7 feet we may not be able to get through the ICW without going aground. That may not seem like a big deal to some but it can be an awful experience for a 50 ton vessel like ours. And even if we stay in the channel and never touch bottom while in the Inter-Coastal Waterway, there are almost no places to anchor where the water is deep enough for us. That means we'd be looking for marinas all along the way and that can get very expensive. For us to tie up it costs about $100 / night. That would drastically cut our winter budget. It has been explained to us that the Army Corp of Engineers was responsible for the ICW, dug most of it, and maintained it up until a few years ago when federal budget cuts put the control into the hands of individual states. NC mostly keeps up with dredging because many parts of it are used commercially. But in places where commercial use is non-existent such as portions of South Carolina and Georgia there is little or no dredging. The waterway fills in and is left to currents, winds and tides. Vessels with less than 6 feet are said to pass without difficulty. And so the conundrum: stay here where we are safe warm and dry or risk no anchoring areas for us and the eventuality of going aground.  Whatever we decide will be ok with me. I'm back writing, love the town and have almost everything I need. Just need a grandkids fix.
Still I'm thankful, I guess I'd have to say I'm thankful for life itself and all the goodness it contains.
If you have the time check out towndock.net there is a great shot of the Richard & Arnold

Tiny home and a world with big problems

It is so calm where we are tied up that it doesn't feel like I'm on a boat, just a tiny home. I remember seeing programs on HGTV about tiny houses and now I know how it feels. It feels good. I don't run up and down the stairs carrying my vacuum and I don't have to walk fifteen feet to put food on the table from the stove, I just pass it over to Dave. We have access to a laundry at the marina so I'm sitting in the club house while the machine does its thing. OK, it might be easier to carry the laundry to the basement, but it really isn't to difficult to carry it over here.  Last night we plugged in a tv episode of Justified, a friend gave us all the dvd's of the program, unfortunately they start at episode 3 so we were a bit confused as to who was who. Anyway it was the first time we'd seen anything resembling tv. I've not seen or heard the news for three weeks. When Dave came back from his morning stroll to the coffee shop with the news of the Paris bombing I cried. We need to stop calling these lunatics - terrorists -and begin calling them what they are: cowards. We cannot live in fear of them because they are cowards who think they can terrorize people. We cannot be afraid of cowards who hide their faces when committing murder. They pick on those who cannot defend themselves and they do not love life and therefore do not love God. For no matter what they say or preach or believe, they could not possible love God. I was taught that God is love.  Let's not give them any power over us, they are not terrorists, they are cowards.

Maybe I'm hiding my head in the sand, but it feels good to disconnect from the realities of the world for a while. It's why we go on vacation, to remove ourselves from our daily routines, tie up in unfamiliar waters and unplug the tv. I miss family, friends, neighbors and familiar faces at the Stop & Shop, but I'm surprised at how little I miss the TV, the house, and all that stuff.

I received an email that made me very happy. My book, The Fishermen's Ball has been chosen for review by Publisher's Weekly. Needless to say I'm thrilled. So much so that I began writing again, first time since we left. Dave said I needed a little prodding and I guess this was the impetus. I started polishing Arethusa. The review most likely won't be out for a number of weeks, if I hear anything I'll let you know. In the meantime if anyone happens to see it, would you save me a copy.

Velcro

A lady at the coffee shop told me this morning that this town has a 'velcro effect' on boaters. It's all about the people we meet, the stories they tell, and the help they offer. I'm sitting in the wheelhouse looking across a  harbor that is smaller than between Fishermen's wharf and MacMillan wharf. Boats come and go on a daily basis, yachts, sail, and fishing boats tie to the town dock or the commercial pier or the private marina, here it's boats, boats, boats. It's a stopping off point for those heading south in winter and north in spring and I can see why. Its safe and friendly. Dave is in his element. He goes to the local coffee shop every morning and talks with everyone who comes in, locals, fishermen, and those just passing through. This is the first vacation he's had in over twenty years. We took the Richard & Arnold to Stonington ME back in 1980 visiting Peter and Pat Morris and stayed a week. Now we've already been away for three weeks and we're so relaxed its hard to stay awake. We have spent the past 5 nights tied to Sherrill & Phyllis Styron's commercial fishing dock alongside the offloading facility. We watched a boat unload a catch of jumbo shrimp this morning, I hope to buy some this afternoon and stuff my freezer full.  Mr. Styron is away but his son's have told us its ok to spend time tied to the wharf at no charge. Many people have stopped by the boat to let us know that she's not only good looking but looks like she can work as well. To the local fishermen the boat is a bit of an oddity: small with the lines of a schooner, with the wheelhouse in the stern. The shrimp boats have a classic look with the wheelhouse up front, big and beamy. They are beautiful, practical and sea worthy, but there are stories of loss here just as in most harbors. Five years ago a shrimp boat named Miss Mary was lost with all hands. The town of Oriental has a population of 900 and yet thousands of boats stop here each year.  Well the day is flying and I've not done a thing so I guess I'll get up and make some lunch then I can go back to do nothing again for awhile. We are planning to leave, I just don't know when. It must be the velcro effect.

Oriental NC and a rest

They say that sailing is either complete peace of sheer terror. Well let me tell you about what happens when you think you've got it made. God comes and gives you a tap, telling you not to get too cocky. Two nights ago Dave and I finished a 70 mile run from Coinjock to Belhaven, NC. We were tired but there was no wind, cloudy with a threat of rain, so we decided to anchor in the harbor instead of tying  into a marina and paying the $100. We are on a strict budget and we have all winter to get through. Anyway the anchor seemed to be holding, I made us a fish dinner, had a glass of wine, and was reading a book. (The Girl in the Spider's Web). Dave had gone to bed. With the suddenness of a lightening strike the wind picked up and began howling through the rigging. I jumped up ran to the hatch and looked out. Not good. We were swinging, moving, dragging the anchor. Dave was up in a flash and into the wheelhouse to start the engine. It was pouring rain. We hauled up the anchor having drifted a quarter of a mile across the bay. Luckily the bottom is mud, silt and no hang ups. We went back to where we had been anchored and let it go again. We stayed in the wheelhouse watching our position, but not for long. Again we dragged and again we tried to set it. It's still pouring. The third time we set the anchor and it dragged we decided to find a berth. Now it is midnight, raining and we can't see a thing. We found what looked like a bulkhead, but when we got close enough just feet away we could see that there was no poles, no cleats, no place to tie. We drifted away from the land and saw what looked like pilings. A sign said 'Private Marina.' We needed a place and that was it, a port in a storm. There wasn't a soul around to ask permission from so we tied up the Richard & Arnold, got out of our wet clothes and slept like babies. The next morning a nice gentleman came by at 6:30 to say he watched us last night. With all the lights on he wasn't sure what kind of a boat we were and it looked like there were a lot of people running all over the boat. I said, "Yes that was Dave and me." We left the dock a few minutes later and did a 49 mile run to Oriental. It was rough where the Pungo River meets the Nuese River but the boat didn't seem to mind. Right at the area where we were to turn to port and head up the Nuese for Oriental, I said to Dave, "That anchor looks like its going to slide off the deck." He said, "Nah, it's not that rough." Five minutes later the anchor slid off the deck and Dave flew out the wheelhouse door. The anchor, chain and most of the line (200) feet was on its way to the bottom. Dave managed to grab the last six feet of line and wrap it around a cleat. The boat was thrashing in a six foot chop as he put the rope around the capstan and brought the anchor back aboard. We made it into Oriental Harbor at about 2 in the afternoon. We have a great spot to tie up with the commercial fishing boats and will be here for a few days visiting friends, Randy and Ellen.

Norfolk and the Navy

I wanted to add a small post about where we spent the night because I'm so impressed with what surrounds us. We have reached mile marker 000 of the Inter Coastal Waterway at a bend in the Elizabeth River. Everywhere I look I see America. People working on ships. Ships that protect us, serve our country, keep us safe. This is the heartbeat of the Navy and it makes me proud. It is amazing what we can do when we are pulling together.  The port of Norfolk / Portsmouth has got to be the busiest place I've ever been on the water. We went from a tiny sleepy harbor one night to a bustling waterway the next. The trip is giving us a picture of our country from the deck of a moving boat. A strange way of seeing our coastal communities. This is the I-95 of the waterway. Now that we are tucked into the ICW all we have to do is follow the charts, buoys and cruising guides. Its like planning a trip across the country by car only much slower, there's time to prepare. We are not without some anxious moments, like passing a tug and barge in a narrow channel, or when the depth sounder read no water under us, or tying up feet from the stern of a million dollar yacht (don't even think of touching it). We keep moving south. The temperature is 76 and I'm barefoot and sleeveless. I believe this is why we are doing it. I checked the Provincetown weather today and it said 60 with fog, so not so wintery yet. Still this is an adventure of a lifetime for us. I'm still learning about how to navigate, keep the boat headed in the right direction and how to tie up so that we look like a smart crew. The yachts we've seen are absolutely remarkable, right out of James Bond movies. Lots of smaller boats as well, but nothing at all like our Richard & Arnold. Everyone asks us about her. She's unique, that's for sure. I'm comfortable living here and I'm pretty sure I'll make it through the winter without going stir crazy. My grandson is doing much better, I'll talk to him again tonight, he's home from the hospital. Thanks to the many who have send get well wishes. To all my friends, family and fellow boaters: Fair winds.

Chesapeake Bay, the queen of bays

This is finally beginning to feel like a real vacation. My stomach has unclenched, my blood pressure is down and I am enjoying the scenery. We celebrated Dave's birthday with friends, the boat tied up at SkipJacks Marina in the Sassafras River near the top of Chesapeake Bay. Our friends, Joe, Chrissy and Joshua picked us up and took us to PA- Amish country. We had two full days of R&R, hot showers and laundry, and then I found myself missing the boat.  I think I'm hooked. We left on Monday and headed back down the winding river then turn to port when we reached the big bay. This waterway is absolutely remarkable. So many tributaries, rivers and bays entering and continuously flowing into the mother bay. I can understand how a person could explore the Chesapeake for a lifetime and not see it all. For our next stop we headed to St. Michaels, a cozy little town on the eastern shore, nestled in the Miles River - up Eastern Bay off Chesapeake Bay. It took a good two hours after leaving the Chesapeake to get there, but it was worth it. A wonderful maritime museum dedicated to the mariners of Chesapeake Bay, the Queen of Bays (as National Geo calls it). The museum is 18 acres so we did some hiking. They have a great boatbuilding workshop, railway, history exhibits of oystering, crabbing and steam boating. There are wonderful boats on display both in and out of the water. The harbor came highly recommended by Steve Kennedy who also loves old wooden boats. It was worth the trip. We departed at 6:45. The air was damp and sweet smelling. As the sky became lighter we were greeted by a heavy dark fog. Not my favorite way to travel, but Dave used the radar, autopilot, chart plotter and computer to find our way through the pea soup. The air remained thick with fog for about 2 hours, then patchy, and finally full sun leaving a clear skyline. Mother nature has been on our side for this entire week, light to no wind!!! The joy of water traveling, at least for the motor-cruiser. After a 7 hour steam we came into the Patuxent River and around the bend into Solomons Island. This narrow piece of land is a bright spot for mariners, lots of marinas and friendly oystermen. We met a great couple who go oystering together daily and have for five years. Great to see women working the water. We had a wonderful experience as we came close to the harbor. Dave was hailed on the radio by the captain of a research vessel, the Rachael Carlson, who recognized the Richard & Arnold from last Sept when he was in Provincetown doing research. While he was in Provincetown he picked up a copy of my book, Nautical Twilight and he just happened to be reading it when he looked up and saw us going past. He invited us to tie up to the fishermen's dock at the University of MD biological lab. There is a shared dock space that the University set aside for commercial fisherman, and here we are tied up nice and sweet and

at no cost. As a matter of fact we have only paid for two nights so far. Out of 14 days that's not bad. The picture is St. Michaels as we were leaving, hard to believe but 30 minutes later we were in a thick blanket of fog. Its been a grand two weeks. Oh and by the way, my 7 year old grandson is in the hospital in Maine, has pneumonia, so please say a prayer for the little man. We love him dearly. Thanks. Fair winds.