Rebel Marina, Willoughby Bay, VA

March 31, 2016
In like a lamb, out like a lion. We are tied in at Rebel Marina in Willoughby Bay, Norfolk VA and the wind is expected to blow SE 15-25 with gust possible to 40. We are tucked in and safe, slept like babies. The owner's here, the Bragg family, couldn't be more welcoming. David Bragg was here at the dock to take our lines, he's fisherman, charter captain, marine surveyor, and dock master - and many other things I imagine.  My Dave and he were able to swap sea stories when we arrived. It would have gone on for hours but I had to tell the Captain that his crew was tired and needed supper and sleep. This morning Captain Dave has gone to have tea at the marina lounge and to check out the local color. There are some really beautiful boats tied up here and our old dragger somehow fits right in. She may not be as polished but she sure is unique.
We are planning to scoot up the outside coast of Maryland and Delaware then on to Cape May. We are waiting for a weather window, but according to my IPhone weather channel it doesn't look too promising for the next few days. This seems to be a nice protected marina, just across the bay from the Navy Station. I feel so very protected. Last pm there were helicopters, jet planes, and car traffic to listen to as we fell asleep, didn't seem to bother us one bit. My internet connection is not the greatest, we are too far from the marina office to pick up a signal, so I'm using my hot spot on the IPhone. Now I really miss Keith Smith, I know he'd have us set up with internet in no time. We were saddened to learn of the passing of Bob Andrews, the early bird at the Bean, he'll be missed all over Oriental. At the same time we learned that Jimmy Morgan turned 92, that old rascal of a fisherman out of Menemsha, MVI, Happy Birthday old salt. Yesterday was my grandson's birthday, Alex is 8 and my son Jackson celebrated his on the 27th, I hope they had the best birthday yet, hope to be there to celebrate with him next year. Love those kids and grandkids!!!!!!!!
This morning we listened to revelry being trumpeted out across the bay while our little cabin rocked with the wind and incoming tide, warms the cockles of my heart. Thank you to all the service men and women who stand ready to serve and protect. God Bless and fair winds.

March 29, 2016 Hey all you mates, we're at it again. In our case it means that we're rolling on the river: the Neuse River, the Alligator River, the Pungo River, the North River and a couple more I can't remember. It's been a busy, yet somehow a slow two days of travel. We've covered 126 miles in two days, so yes slow would be the word. Doesn't sound like much but steaming five hours the first day and eight hours today is tiring. The wind has been from the north so the rivers are up. For those of you who don't understand the southern river system it seems that when the wind blows from the north the water in the rivers rise, but from the south - the levels fall and when you are plowing through skinny water it's a good thing the wind has been northerly. Had a bit of spray on the wheelhouse windows crossing the Albamarle Sound, ten mile across and blowing 10 -15 N. so a bit of wind on the bow. What I have found amazing in this our first two days of traveling northward to Provincetown Harbor, is that so far we have passed miles and miles of uninhabited woods, wilderness and swamp. There's so much land, at least it looks like land, without a house or any sign of a human touch. It's great to see. There isn't much boat traffic yet. We passed two sailboats and two power cruisers passed us. Last night we stayed in Belhaven at the River Forest Marina. It was a tight fit, took a bit of maneuvering from the captain, but he got us tied in just like a pro. They have great showers there, if you ever get a chance to stop. We were the only boat tied up there last night. Hank the manager said the northward exodus doesn't start for a few more weeks, peaks in May, but he gets a lot of local boat traffic in June as well. The wind blew hard but we had a good safe berth. We left at 6:30 just before sunrise. Beautiful. Today was uneventful, just the way we like it. The Richard & Arnold is currently tied up in Coinjock. It's the only stop between Belhaven and Portsmouth VA unless you are up for anchoring and this spoiled crew woman likes to put the lines around poles. I sleep better. We are going out for supper, Dave remembers having a really great crabmeat supper here on our way down.
We are looking forward to home, family and friends and deep water. I am missing our berth in Oriental and all the wonderful people I can gladly call friends. We are hoping that life will be kind and we will be able to return to the Bean for morning tea.

Water Water Everywhere

It was a water day. When I was living at home I just took it for granted that if I turned on the tap water would come out and if I flushed everything would disappear. Not so on a boat. Water means work. So today in order to take care of the water business, we first had to go look for Jerry, who works for the DPW and ask him to turn on the pump-out station. They had to close the station a couple of weeks ago because of the freezing weather. So Jerry spoke to his boss who said yes, turn it on. Then we had to move the Richard & Arnold, not far, just across the harbor. Tie her up, pump out and then go back to our nice berth at Styron's- Garland / Fulcher Wharf.  Great, we're good to go for about another month. When Dave built the foc'sle for me, he put in a septic tank that would hold about 150 gals. We've only had to use the pump out stations on our trip about five times, but it's good to know that those stations are available all along the waterway. Our next job - when we were back at our spot on the wharf - was to put water aboard. Another tank, in the bow, holds about 100 gals. We ran a hose from Mr. Styron's off loading building, to the boat. This process involves hooking up three sets of hoses and pulling it across an open stretch of water. That water is fresh, but only used for cleaning. We have a hot water tank under the sink that produces very hot water. It runs on electricity when plugged in at the pier or heats up the water from the engine when we are underway. I wash dishes, the boat and our bodies with that water.  Drinking water is a different process. We buy gallon jugs for cooking and tea. We buy cases of 16 oz bottles for straight water. Last week we ran out of the gallon jugs and I couldn't find any in Oriental so we had to drive about 25 miles to the Food Lion in order to stock up. We bought 10 gallons, I use about 1 gal a day for cooking. Then today I noticed we were out of the 16 oz bottles - I have two bottles left and I drink at least one a day. I think we'll be able to buy these in town at the Dollar General just up the street.  It never ceases to amaze me how important water is, how necessary, how precious. It even makes a difference in how the boat feels. Really. With the tank in the bow full of fresh water and the holding tank mid-ship empty, the bow comes down just a little and  I can tell the difference when I'm lying in the bunk. It's level. As the water tank goes down and the septic tank fills up there is a change in how the boat sits in the water. We are surrounded by water, but you couldn't drink a drop of it. It looks like chocolate soda. I wouldn't even swim in it. When we are back home at the wharf the water is salt, but that water I can't wait to swim in again. This all leads me to what I've been reading about in the news, poisoned water in Detroit, Flint, and other areas of the country. 70% of uranium mining is done on Reservation (Native American) owned land and the water supply around these operations are contaminated, undrinkable. What a disgrace. This resource is our most precious, without it there is no life. I can't help but think about what water means to us, it is not something I can take for granted here onboard the Richard & Arnold.

In more upbeat news I am working on my next Provincetown mystery. The title was supplied last year by Emily Bunker, who edited the Fishermen's Ball. "Dead Low Tide"  -  Chief Crowley is faced with another murder. A body is found on the beach with no identification.  After discovering who the man is, the chief puts together a picture that points the finger at a man who is suspected of betraying his country during the pre- WWll days in 1939. There is a fishermen (of coarse) who comes into the picture because of his relationship to the prime suspect, but Crowley along with help from Boston Detective C. Shiff soon learns that there is more to the story. Some of the characters have returned to the story, but I hope you won't be disappointed not to see the Diogo's or Davy Souza. James Crowley takes the lead and is the protagonist who must solve the crime.

I don't know when it will be finished. I'm about half way through a first draft. I have the story in  my head but not complete on paper. Hopefully out by summer, in time for beach reading.
From the Richard & Arnold's crew "Fair Winds, stay safe, warm and dry."

Valentine's Day on the Richard & Arnold

It may be frigid, but my thoughts of home and family warm the cockles of my heart. Here in North Carolina it is 30* with a wind chill to 20*, the sun is out and it will warm to 35, in two days it will be 50 degrees and then wow - 60. Spring will come to Oriental sooner than the Cape and if Dave and I time it right, we may get to see two springs this year. On our daily walk along the Neuse River I noticed that Daffodils are peeking out of the ground 8 inches.  I know Cape Cod won't see them until next month. We are planning on heading north sometime in March, most likely toward the end of the month and with travel upon the water it all depends on wind and tide. It will be with mixed feelings that we head home. We've met some really terrific people here and this experience has opened our eyes to all that we are still capable of. Perhaps we will be fortunate enough to be able to return next year. We know it won't be with the Richard & Arnold. She's too big, too deep for the inter-coastal waterway. But we thinking about different arrangements.  Today being Valentine's day I wanted to tell so many people how much I appreciate their friendship, support and kindness over the years. I won't name names, the list is too long, you all know who you are. Listen to me - You All. Love the way the people say that here, with just a little southern inflection. I have worked out how to drop a picture into this blog, sometimes these things are easier when you don't know what you're doing, this one just happened. Nice. I thought you might like to see what our lifestyle is like. It's a little smaller than my kitchen table in Truro, but we have everything we need. I keep a list of books I've read this past four months, I count 18 so far. Dave and I have computer CD's and now we are streaming Netflix - Dave has discovered Facebook -  sometimes I have to tell him to turn it off. "I can't believe how much stuff is on here!" he tells me. I catch him laughing at the jokes and grumbling about some of the stories, but it is entertaining.                  Roses are Red, Violets are Blue
                                                                If it wasn't for Facebook
                                                                We wouldn't see you
                                                                So keep up the posts, the jokes and the pics
                                                                And we'll follow you're food, your pets and your flix's.
                           
                                        Y'all have a  Happy Valentine's Day- from the crew of the Richard & Arnold
                                                               

Not a flake to be seen

We didn't see any snow, not even a flake, but lots of rain - for when it rains in North Carolina - it pours. The wind seems tamer here, not as heavy.  It could be that it doesn't come with a bite below 32*. Today it will warm to 40 and by Tuesday it will be 60. Not bad and since we are trying to avoid the bitterness of winter, I guess we are doing just fine. Maybe next year we will go further south, but that's for summer planning. For this winter we plan to stay here on the Neuse River. We walk every day, spend time reading, writing, visiting with friends and sometimes go out for supper. That's our day in a nutshell. The news around Oriental is all about the only grocery store closing. That would be the WallMart, the small size that was suppose to be the super market for the area. They've been here one year, put the only local grocery store out of business and now they are pulling up stakes, leaving the community scratching their heads and looking for rides to the nearest supermarket which is in Grantsboro about a half hour ride. Like driving to Orleans to buy a loaf of bread. Good old WallMart took the only pharmacy with them as well, after putting the only pharmacy out of business as well.  If you need a prescription filled you drive 20 minutes. Many of the town's elderly are looking for rides. There is no bus service here. This also doesn't bode well for the sailing transients who were able to purchase supplies by walking or biking the mile to the now defunct market. Dave and I have been blessed to have friends like Ellen and Randy who have loaned us their old truck to do the big shopping. We stocked up before we left home so there is plenty in the freezer and in the cabinets. We pick up fresh farmed eggs at the farmers market on Saturdays and purchase milk and a few other essentials at the Inland Water Ways Provisions Co, just feet from the boat. We buy water for drinking and cooking by the gallon, I have a week's supply left so we will have to make a trip to the closest supermarket next week. We will lay in 10 gallons of drinking water and I'll stock up on paper products at that time. I admit it was convenient having Wall Mart close by,  but I swear I'll never set foot in one again. It is my belief that their experiment in the grocery business was a way for them to get some kind of a tax break, or earn points for credit or some other scheme to put more profit in the pockets of the Waltons. They had to have had this planned out to the penny. There's no way that they could just close up after only one year and then say it didn't work out. They didn't even try. So screw them, just like they screwed this community. I'd never been in one before I came here and I don't think I'll ever need anything from them again. So that's my rant for today. Stay out of Wall Mart if you can. I know they are cheaper, but sometimes cheaper isn't better.

I'm glad to be able to use FaceBook.  Keep snapping those pics of Provincetown with snow on the streets, the wind howling a gale. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Miss the people, but not the weather. 

Fair Winds my friends. Stay safe, warm and dry.

I Have a Dream

Brrrrrr. It does get cold in North Carolina. There was frost on the dock this morning, but the sun is out and the temp will rise to almost 50* We can live with that. Our little cabin is warm and dry with just one small electric heater. We had a late breakfast after Dave returned from the 'Bean' - that's the local coffee shop, the only one in town I might add. He's just left to help load ice for the local draggers. They are getting ready to go out. The boats are bigger here, more like New Bedford, but fishermen are the same no matter where you go. They just want to make a living and are struggling to make sense of the rules and regulations. The talk on the dock is about flounder. Seems N. Carolina fish are not as abundant as they once were, just like at home. The politicians, scientists, environmentalist, and fishermen are speaking about what they each believe are the problems. So far I've not heard one solution. It's like Henny-penny running around shouting the sky is falling. She gets everyone worked up and they all believe her, so they are easily led to the cave where the fox who started the rumor, is waiting to eat them all up. So is everyone running around shouting the sky is falling. Yes. Should we all be led to that dark cave, No. Oh ye of little faith.  There is evidence that the fish, their habitat and our oceans are changing. Isn't that what life is all about, change! If we could all just stop pointing fingers, running around in circles, and start working together then maybe we can begin to talk about solutions. How about we start building hatcheries, We did it with lobsters in New England. How about catching wild spat for sea scallops, We did it in Cape Cod Bay. How about for every pound of fish landed one penny is put aside for producing fingerlings. How about letting fishermen do the survey work, after all they are the ones affected, they know where the fish should be. And let's have less finger pointing at the draggers, that's not a solution and frankly they've been fishing the same way for over a hundred years, maybe it's not dragging that is the problem, maybe it's gill nets in the estuaries, maybe it's hooks by the billions, maybe it's the crap that has been dumped in the ocean, and maybe it is greed (those who wish to control all the fish populations), or maybe it's zealots who just want everyone to think the way they do (like some of the environmentalists that I've met). The fishermen I know love the ocean, profoundly. They are the watchdogs. They're the ones who know what's going on out there. We landlubbers, and I include myself in that category, we just listen to Henny-penny running around shouting and try to make sense of it all.
I thought Dave and I could take the winter off, I mean really get away from all the fishing rhetoric, all the notices from NOAA, all the heartbreaking rules that have been foisted on us over the years, but we've found there is no getting away from it. Dave is now talking about getting out of fishing, hanging up his boots. It's time and I think that this winter has helped him see that there is life after fishing. We will always love the fishermen's ways, the boats, the fish, the oceans, but it is so hard to watch some of the senseless things going on, like putting a lock on someones fishhold, letting the fish rot rather that allow the fish to be trucked out of state. There's no common sense left and we're frustrated by it. I have a dream, to see fishermen as the valuable men and women they are. Fair winds, stay safe, warm and dry.

God Bless the dreams of Martin Luther King, Let's hope his spirit lives on and that all men will live as brothers, in peace.

January at the dock in Oriental

January and it's chilly but not freezing. When the sun is out it's down right lovely and it's lovely today. We've had some wonderful visits these past couple of days. Met new friends and old friends here at the dock in Oriental. Yesterday we had five visitors in the foc'sle before 10 AM. Everyone talking about their adventures on the water. It's music to our ears. Jay and Sarah live aboard the Sea Angel and are salty to be sure. They have crewed and cooked aboard schooners, Roseway and others, They have sailed from West Coast through the Panama Canal and up the east coast to Maine and now they are on their own private sailing adventure. Then surprise / surprise we hear someone calling out across the dock, "Hey Dave, It's Brad Pease from Chatham." He and his wife C. Louise Moye (a fine artist) are sailing the Sea Chanty to Florida and hopefully to the Bahamas. We visited their boat. It has that WOW factor, wood, traditional, classic. A real beauty. We had a delightful visit with them first at lunch at the M & M's and then along with Randy & Ellen for BOGO Pizza at Silo's. This place has been terrific to and for us. Our days fly by, we get to visit with great people and most of them are sailors. Dave also gets to talk with the fishermen from the shrimp boats that surround us. This small wharf is a place where if you take out your fish here - you can get your ice and tie up here at no cost. There is a steady coming and going of boats, shrimpers and draggers. When the shrimp season is over, they go for flounder and/ or fluke. When the flounder leave, they change over to sea scallops. Just like it used to be at home in Provincetown.
    In the North east we have the Gulf of Maine closed, sector allocations, days-at-sea, and now the National Marine Fisheries has added a cost to the boat of $710. per day that you go out for ground fish - if an observer goes with you. And you have no choice, you have to take the observer, after you notify big-brother 48 hours in advance of going fishing, they decide if you have to take an observer and if you do, the boat has to pay $710 to NMF to take him/her. For us that means we will never be able to go fishing, we only make about $1000 for the day, then take out expenses (fuel etc) add in the new observer cost and you are left with nothing. If we are lucky we may break even. There is a law suit going on, many many Congressmen and women, senators, scientists, and fishermen have asked that NMFS not put this burden on an already overly regulated industry. All pleas have fallen on deaf ears- thus the law suit. Dave and I both agree that this is another tactic of NMFS to get rid of fishermen and their boats. No small boat owner will survive. The bigger boats will pay, maybe not like it, but they'll cough up the 710 bucks. We are definitely a changing industry, a changing country and a changing world. It's just that I don't particularly like how it is shaping up. I don't even recognize it as the America I grew up in. I've never been very political, but I may have to start shouting, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore." Remember that line, I keep hearing it said and it worries me. We do need to rethink where we want this country to be in 5 or 10 years. Will only the biggest corporations be allowed to own the water, the land and the businesses? It seems to be where we are heading.
    I'm so glad Dave and I got to take the Richard & Arnold south this year. No freezing lines to deal with, no severe storms causing the boat to be pitched against the wharf and no filling out the daily log books for NMFS. We had to keep our tracking device turned on at all times even though we are not fishing, not even in the northeast. We had to put a new device onboard (cost $3000) because we are considered transiting. Oh and it costs us $69. a month to track us. We're not fishing so we are paying  for absolutely nothing. We'd like to get the federal permits off the boat, but there are so many rules about that, that we're afraid to make a move. We would most likely end up with no permits, no money and no retirement.
    Thanks for letting me vent. Fair winds, stay safe, warm and dry.