Seeing the Sights Before We Leave

The area that we are currently in is known as the Historical Triangle. Located within the Virginia Peninsula the area which composes the Historic Triangle includes the colonial communities of Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown. Joining these three historic areas of Virginia is the Colonial Parkway. The Parkway is a lovely driving path through a heavily wooded area which is designed to shield visitors from the trappings of modern life…like the Naval Weapons Station at Yorktown with its two loading piers which often are occupied with US warships. However, putting aside all thoughts of modern day, it is very easy to sit back and appreciate nature while traveling along the Parkway. We saw lots of water foul and the marshlands as they must have looked to the colonists upon arrival in the early 1600’s.



Having already visited Colonial Williamsburg and Yorktown, we headed to Jamestown. We spent the entire morning walking among the archeological digs that are ongoing at Jamestown and taking a guided tour of the colony. The afternoon was spent at the Jamestown Museum on the colony grounds which house an unusually large and extremely interesting collection of artifacts that have been excavated from within the colony grounds. It is amazing to see what nature had preserved underground these past four hundred years. We literally ran out of day before we finished viewing all there was to see. It is our hope to travel up the James River to see Jamestown from the water when we return in the spring.


We could not leave the area without a trip to the Williamsburg Winery. We opted to take the hour tour to see first hand the workings of a local winery. An interesting note that we discovered during the winery tour was that each colonist family in Virginia was mandated by law to plant a vineyard upon arrival from England in the hopes that Virginia would provide vineyards like the south France. While the grapes flourished, the quality of the wine was never even remotely near that of France, so the farmers of Virginia turned to tobacco as the cash crop of choice.



We drove into the Norfolk/Portmouth area to see the warships up close and personal. We were able to tour the USS Wisconsin which is part of the Nauticus Museum in Norfolk. It was both humbling and exciting to board the USS Wisconsin to feel what it must be like to live aboard what is such a huge ship while at the same time experience the teeny tiny living quarters of the crew. The Natuicus Museum contains an excellent collection of nautical memorbilia unique to the waters and history of the Chesapeake. It was certainly an afternoon well spent.


Before leaving the area, we took a walking tour of the Portsmouth area. We spent several hours walking the area which is full of old homes which are being restored and maintained.

Crew Member DTLB Comes for a Visit

Lolligag crew member DTLB has the patience of Job as she made plans for her long overdue and much deserved vacation aboard the Lolligag. It was everyone’s original intention and hope that she would be joining us in the Bahamas during the early winter months of 2008. However, a severed finger by this Deck Monkey in January 2008 changed the plans of everyone involved. So we reviewed her work schedule and the places that she has previously visited and the logical conclusion was that she join us to see and visit Williamsburg and the historical sites therein.

Captain Mark and I picked her up from the Richmond airport and we all began four days full of laughter, sightseeing, wonderful shopping (purchasing), eatery exploration, all the while ending our days with good wine and more laughter.



Since none of us had visited the historic Village of Williamsburg, this seemed the perfect place to start our tourist activities. WOW, is the best description of Williamsburg. Yes we knew that it was a city of restored historical building and that people wore, ate and used implements of the early 1700’s but still we were thrilled and impressed by the authenticity and attention to detail that we found in every aspect of Williamsburg.



I think what shocked us the most was the fact that people actually live in the homes within the Village. I guess I thought it was just a re-created village museum but that is hardly the case. Everything that is created, made or used in Williamsburg is done exactly as it would have been done in colonial times.











The town of Yorktown is located directly across the York River from our marina so we ventured to the town for some serious shopping and lunch dinning. Then it was on to the Yorktown Battlefield for a historical tour which surprised us all by being so informative and interesting. We all commented that we wished our US history classes in high school would have been this much fun!

Unfortunately, a small craft advisory was in effect for our area so we were not able to take Linda for a boat ride. However, she was able to see a warship that was docked in the York River not too far from our marina.

We even drove to downtown Washington, DC for dinner before our visit time expired. We are most fortunate to have our friends (crew members) join us along our journey. Sharing the Lolligag’s adventures is one of the most special aspects of being able to make a trip like this and we are very glad that DTLB made the long awaited and special effort to visit us.

York River: The Final Frontier

Today we head to the York River Yacht Haven where we will stay for at least two weeks. YRYH is located on the eastern shore of the York River on what is known as Gloucester Point. This marina has been recommended to us by several fellow mariners and if after talking with the YRYH Service Department, Captain Mark is satisfied with the answers they provide, this will be the location where the Lolligag is placed “on the hard”. Since I am hard of hearing, when I first heard this nautical term, I thought I was misunderstanding what was being said as the words were an odd sequence for me to process – kind of like Yoda-speak…However, the term means exactly what it says: the boat will be placed upon hard ground for an extended period of time.

The today started off bright, sunny and primarily uneventful but definitely a wonderful day upon the water. The temperature was comfortable and seas calm. Since it was a Tuesday and later in the season for most Chesapeake boaters, we had the waters pretty much to ourselves.

As we rounded the Virginia shore to enter the York River, we were amazed by the beauty of this river. First, by how wide the York River is as it joins the Chesapeake Bay. At this point which is the river’s mouth on the west side of Bay, the river is over 2.5 miles wide. We can only imagine that the awe and wonder we experienced seeing this sight for the first time was the same feeling as shared by the early explorers of this area. Modern development has been kept to a minimum in this area of Virginia so the shoreline looks very much like it has since the first written records were created by the early European settlers. Secondly, as we looked to the west, we could see a storm squall line headed in our direction. We knew the storm was coming but it was our hope to reach our slip at YRYH before the brunt of the thunderstorm arrived. As the storm came closer, the temperature dropped and winds picked up. However, once again Neptune and Mother Nature favored the Lolligag crew, particularly the Deck Monkey, whose job it is to be outside the pilot house (in the rain) to secure lines while arriving at a wet, slippery dock. In addition to the assistance given by Mother Nature in holding the worst of the storm off until we were secured in our slip, the staff at York River Yacht Haven were standing in the rain to meet us and grab our lines upon arrival thereby saving this Deck Monkey who did not have to slip or fall on the wet dock. Right from the beginning, I knew that I would love staying at York River Yacht Haven.

Hours on the water: 6
Nautical miles traveled: 40
Number of bridges to be opened: 0
Time spent waiting at bridge: 0
Next Destination: Undetermined
What we are listening to: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
What we watched: The storm
Lesson for the day: YRYH is the best!
Obligatory knitting report: Blue Heron Yarn Shawl

Fishing Bay Anchorage

Now that I have been successful in having the Lolligag forever banned from Calvert Marina in Solomon’s Island, it is time to move on. Our destination today is an anchorage in Fishing Bay, Virginia as we make our way south to the York River. Following the rains of last week, the weather has turned much less humid with just a hint of fall in the air.

Our travel today was been rather uneventful which is not a bad thing at all since this was one of our longest days yet. Arriving at our anchorage in Fishing Bay Captain Mark pointed out to me that we are now just on the other side of the peninsula from Deltaville where we had stayed shortly after arriving in the Chesapeake earlier in the summer.



This location was one of the most beautiful and peaceful anchorages to date. Following a wonderful dinner of grilled salmon for me and steak for carnivorous Captain Mark we sat atop the Lolligag to enjoy the sunset and calm evening under the stars.



Hours on the water: 8.25
Nautical miles traveled: 60
Number of bridges to be opened: 0
Time spent waiting at bridge: 0
Next Destination: York River Yacht Haven
What we are listening to:
What we watched: The sunset
Lesson for the day: Not everyday has to be exciting
Obligatory knitting report: Blue Heron Yarn Shawl

Trawler Fest: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

We were fortunate to have reached our slip at Calvert Marina before the storm hit. The rocking and rolling that we expected when we thought Hurricane Hanna was going to hit was what we experienced for the next thirty six hours. By watching the Weather Channel (another good reason to have purchased the TV satellite dish for which I never cease reminding Captain Mark) we were able to see and follow the weather that was headed in a direct path toward us. Wind gusts between 50-70 mph were anticipated in our area requiring us to secure the Lolligag at all four corners in such a manner that would also allow us to rise and fall along with the tide. Lines secured and fenders in place so that we could adjust them without leaving the boat was vital as the winds escalated and the tide came in and departed again several times during the next day and a half. Getting off the boat onto the dock was so risky that we did not even attempt to do so until the worse part of the storm passed. Never have we experienced such rocking and rolling. All items within the boat were put away so that they did not become flying missiles. The only safe place to keep our soda cans was inside the kitchen sink as we ate our meals over the sink in an attempt to keep the crumbs contained. When we first arrived at the Calvert Marina, there were at least six other larger boats on our dock. When we woke up the next morning, all the other boats had moved to another part of the marina in order to find refuge from the rolling and the wind. Sad to say, they did not escape the weather excitement and we felt that they risked damaging their boats in their attempt to relocate in such a turbulent wind storm. Midway through the night, the lightning, thunder and violent rains came. The storm ebbed and waned but continued for the better part of the next couple of days. Needles to say, I loved each and every minute of this storm but being tossed about did curtail my knitting plans for the time being. Knitting lace does require a calm and steady hand.


The storm was the first “good” part of our saga. The second “good” part was waking up after the worst part of the storm had abated to see a mirror imagine of the Lolligag. As we had backed into our slip, The Libertad, had also backed into the slip directly across the fairway in front of us making the two red/white 32 Nordic Tugs the most wonderful sight in the marina. This just goes to show that while the Nordics are “cute” they are made to handle rough seas.







As soon as we could get off our boat safely, we proceeded to venture over to meet our new Nordic neighbors, Bob and Peggy from Annapolis. They promptly invited us inside to view their boat and then came to see ours. No two Nordics are made the same and it is so much fun to see the different configurations, upholstery and customizations that each owner has made. Bob, Peggy and crew became our new best friends at the conference and it was fun to join them each evening for dinner. In addition, Peggy plays the Ukulele and treated us to a concert one afternoon amid several glasses of wine.

The “bad” part of the week was the Trawler Fest in the water boat show. We felt that this was very disappointing. There did not seem to be a very large variety of boats even though there were quite a few boats present – they just all looked alike. Lots and lots of Mainships. There were several new Nordics that were brought in from the Annapolis dealer and it was fun to see them but we are content with our little 32.

We did however treat ourselves to an early Christmas present. We have been ogling and coveting the brass set of Weems & Plath nautical instruments for some time as we saved our pennies. After fondling them multiple times, I convinced Captain Mark that Santa would be more than happy to put them under our Christmas tree.




Now for the “ugly” part of our story…I would be less than honest if I said that we have always found clean, sanitary and stellar marina accommodations in each port along our adventure. Restroom/shower facilities/laundry rooms have run the gamut from very nice to “do not enter without full footwear and do not dare to sit down”. However, never have I encountered such “icky and unkept” marina facilities as we had at Calvert Marina. The facilities that were available for those of us who arrived by boat were by far the worst that we have seen since leaving Chicago AND we were docked, and I am not exaggerating, over a mile from the nearest facility thereby making it necessary to use the shower and bathroom aboard the Lolligag. After unwittingly and naively entering a restroom facility after arriving at Calvert Marina, we certainly welcomed using our own resources as I knew them to be clean and free of critters. But then what added insult to injury was that Calvert Marina had no pump out station making it necessary for us to travel across the harbor upon our departure to find the nearest pump out station. While I am sure that Calvert Marina personnel think that they are giving a reduction in slip fees to Trawler Fest attendees who arrive by boat by charging us $1.00 per night per foot, I feel that with the revenue and free advertising that Trawler Fest brings to the Calvert Marina that they should have paid us to stay in their slips.

Happy Birthday, Beth!!

Thirty five years ago Beth was a tiny little bundle when she came into the world weighing less than five pounds and only 18 inches long. Today she has a heart and spirit ten times larger than life which she brings to her occupation as a social worker and her vocation as a friend. Beth is so fortunate to have a group of friends that have grown up and stayed together to be there for each other through all of life's stages from junior high school to the present.

Laughter and good times follow Beth wherever she goes as she brings her love of life into each room she enters. Her smile is infectious and her compassion for others is undeniable. She brings love to Chris as they make their home together both figuratively and literally. It is wonderful to see the pride that she and Chris show as they remodel to make their house a home. Beth is a loving sister, a devoted aunt and cherished daughter. We love her and could not be more proud of her. Happy Birthday, Beth!!

XOXOX
Mom and Dad

PS She is even an unrelenting and loyal Sarah Fisher IRL fan.

St Michael's back to Solomon's Island

Attending “fests” has become a regular habit for us…I tend to gravitate to Fiber and/or Wine Festivals while Captain Mark goes more for something called Trawler Fest. In fact, we first saw the current Lolligag at Trawler Fest 2006 in Manitowac, Wisconsin and it was there that we started negotiations to purchase her. Trawler Fest is a boating conference, social networking event complete with an in the water boat show and all sorts of fun and expensive boating accessory vendors that is held in several different locations around the US each year. Having attended Trawler Fest Midwest in the past, this year we decided to attend the Mid-Atlantic Trawler Fest at Calvert Marina in Solomon’s Island, Maryland.


Tuesday when we awoke in St Michael’s it was hard to visualize that foul weather was headed our way because the day was truly spectacular with beautiful blue skies, calm seas and near perfect temperatures. However, the weather prediction was for serious and severe winds along with thunderstorms to be arriving within the next twenty four hours for the majority of the Chesapeake Bay area. If we wanted to reach Solomon’s Island before the storm, we needed to leave immediately. So this is what we did after first fueling. As you can see, fuel prices have come down from their peak price of over $5.00 per gallon.

The only vessel we passed along our journey to Solomon’s Island was this ocean going freighter. We could feel the weather start to cool as the storm drew closer. Due to Captain Mark’s excellent weather prediction skills and judgment, we reached Calvert Marina and were secured in our slip before the storm hit.

Hours on the water: 6.75
Nautical miles traveled: 49.5
Number of bridges to be opened: 0
Time spent waiting at bridge: 0
Next Destination: Fishing Bay Anchorage
What we are listening to: Finished The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
What we watched: The weather radar
Lesson for the day: Captain Mark has excellent weather judgment
Obligatory knitting report: Blue Heron Yarn Shawl

St Michael's: My Kind of Town

I think the goddess of fair weather has finally answered my desperate whining pleas for cooler and more tolerable sleeping weather. Last evening was perfect with just a hint of a cool night breeze that made me reach for the polar fleece blanket in the middle of the night. So we were up early and ready to explore St Michael’s.

After securing a spot at the dingy dock, we went in search of a breakfast eatery. The first place that we came to was the Carpenter Street Saloon. We knew that it had to be a great place by all of the people waiting to get in. So we took our place in line and found that the line moved rather quickly. We were not disappointed in the slightest – the food was great and the ambiance even better. The establishment is two historic juxtaposed buildings. One is an affordable family restaurant and the other is a friendly saloon complete on that day with a biker rally, free popcorn, music, and pool tables. It certainly was a happening place.

Just about anything one could want can be found on Talbot Street which is the main drag of St Michael’s. Lining both sides of the street are the most charming and unusually quaint shops. The shops in St Michael’s differ from shops in other waterfront towns in that the items contained within these stores were not the usual run of the mill “touristy stuff” that seem to be everywhere else. There were lots of local artwork and antiques unique to the area.

However, I will confess right up front that three establishments sucked me right in…the first was the St Michael’s Winery. Following a round of tastings, we left with several bottles of local liquid refreshment. One of the items was a Chocolate Zinfandel – two of my favorite things that I would never have thought to combine. We did sample this wine before purchasing it and it is even better than the name indicates.






Onward down Talbot Street, I found Frivolous Fibers

which is a most welcoming yarn shop. Here I fell in love with a line of yarn that I had never seen nor heard of before, but OMG was it to die for! Blue Heron Yarn is locally dyed to reflect the colors found in and around the Chesapeake Bay. I decided to spurge and I got two skeins to make two different shawls.

My third favorite shop was the Chesapeake Bay Outfitters because not only does this store carry the complete line of Life is Good items BUT they were all ON SALE. 90% of both Captain Mark’s and my wardrobe is comprised of Jake's clothing and to find them on sale is just divine intervention.


Ranking right after wine and yarn, tote bags are my next favorite thing in the whole wide world and guess what? Yep, I found an oversized Life is Good “Love” tote bag on ultra ultra clearance that the store was almost paying me to carry away. How could I resist even when Captain Mark was mumbling something about how many totes/wine/yarn will a Nordic Tug be able to hold…

As we rode back in the dinghy to the Lolligag with the wine, yarn and clothing purchases all secure within my new tote, I decided that Frank can have Chicago because now St Michael’s, Maryland is MY kind of town.

Annapolis to St Michael’s

It was bright, sunny, warm but not too hot as we readied to depart Annapolis. Water traffic in and around the marinas was very heavy due in large part to Presidential candidate McCain’s visit to the Academy later in the morning. Boats of all sizes, both power and sail, were circling the mooring ball field like buzzards ready to pounce on the next mooring ball to become available.

As the Academy was that weekend hosting a home football game, the 50th reunion of the Class of ’58 and Senator McCain (as a member of that graduating class), the cadets were proudly displaying their skills as soon to be naval officers. Everywhere we turned on the waterway was evidence of their naval leadership. Several miles out from port both a warship and a submarine were anchored and we watched as groups of cadets and their guests were ferried to both vessels for tours. An interesting side note: the warship (#60) is the same ship that we encountered returning to Norfolk from manuveurs as we were exiting Norfolk.











Also located just outside of Annapolis is another interesting anchorage. This location is where ocean going vessels temporarily anchor for either minor repairs or crew shore leave. We had never seen anything like this before and found it very interesting to think of such large ships “anchoring out” in somewhat the same way as the Lolligag does…



The day was about a perfect a day as one could ask for – the seas were calm, the weather wonderful and the crossing from one side of the Bay to the other was truly delightful. From Annapolis to St Michael’s we travelled diagonally from the western shore southeast across the Chesapeake Bay.

It was our intention to anchor out in a secluded and sheltered cove in St Michael’s, Maryland. Upon reaching the area, we found that we were hardly the only boaters with this goal in mind. It was after all a perfect weather weekend for boating, one of the last weekends available for many boaters who store their boats over the winter and St Michael’s is a popular venue at all times. So we were unable to find a spot to anchor in the sheltered cove and instead found a location just outside the entrance of the harbor to toss the anchor. Soon the area around our location was full with at least twenty boats of all kinds and sizes at anchor. We soon heard on the radio that all of the slips within the St Michael’s harbor system were taken for the weekend. Slips in this harbor system are the most expensive that we have encountered thus far on this trip at $3.50 per foot plus an electric surcharge. This would mean that in order for us to stay in a marina, the cost per night for the Lolligag would be in the area of $112, plus tax, plus electric = way too much money. However, what is really neat about many locations in Maryland and certainly St Michael’s, is that there is a dinghy dock that is conveniently located and secure for quick and easy trips into town.

We arrived in the early evening hours and since it was a long day, we decided to stay put aboard the Lolligag for the time being; enjoy dinner, a glass of wine, the beautiful sunset and to wander St Michael’s in the morning.

Hours on the water: 4
Nautical miles traveled: 28
Number of bridges to be opened: 0
Time spent waiting at bridge: 0
Next Destination: Back to Solomon's Island for Trawler Fest
What we're listening to: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
What we watched: Naval Academy Cadets display their skills
Lesson for the day: This was a perfect day
Obligatory knitting report: Mittens for the Wunder Kids