Bidding Farewell to Annapolis

Monday afternoon we visited with the staff at The Annapolis Sail Yard to thank them for generously allowing us to stay at their dock while the work was being done to repair our boat. The location was convenient to downtown Annapolis and we had the extra treat of being able to drop into the Sail Yard office to kibitz with the staff. The ever delightful and cute as a button Terri was also kind enough to allow me to record her as she left a message for our daughters.





Monday evening as we had our final dinner at The Chart House, Captain Mark and I discussed our plan for getting out of our slip at The Annapolis Sail Yard. The fairway is very narrow and we were not quite, but almost touching the pilings both port and starboard. Mark had done a stellar job of getting us into the slip so I had every confidence that he would be able to get us out as well. So here was our plan: I would position myself aft (with headset in place) to monitor and relay distance while Captain Mark was in charge of monitoring how close we came to other boats off the bow. The plan was that Captain Mark would pull forward into the fairway and take an immediate hard starboard turn, straighten out the Lolligag into the middle of the fairway and then back down the fairway until reaching open water with me providing verbal direction. Backing in or out of the fairway is the only way to maneuver as there is no room to either make a hard port turn out of the slip or spin in the fairway in order to go forward out into open water. Captain Mark did an excellent job of executing his plan. I was calm as a cucumber on the aft deck because I was not able to see how close we came to the boats around us when Mark pulled into the fairway BUT if I had been able to see, I would have seen that we were not even close to the other boats at any time!

Doors Repaired – Kind of…

It seems that this entire boating season thus far has been driven by the stupid break in and I am convinced that the saga will never end. The repairs that were completed in Annapolis were done wonderfully and we sincerely want to commend Danny of the Annapolis Harbor Boatyard for the professional and diligent job he did in completing our repairs.
Bless his heart, he ran into a serious problem with the paint which made it necessary for him to work multiple hours overtime on a Friday evening in order to complete our job. It seems that there was something wrong with the paint and it took many coats and re-dos to satisfy Danny’s perfectionist nature. Just before dark on the Friday evening in question, Danny and Tom were confident that the paint was dry enough to remove the masking and protective plastic and call the job finished.

However, once the protective plastic was removed it was very evident that WE ALL had missed a spot that needed to be repaired next to the door handle on the aft door. I was sick about the situation not because it was missed but because I knew that Danny had worked so hard to make sure that our job was done perfectly and I knew that he was going to be upset when he saw that he had missed this spot. In all fairness to the Annapolis Boat Yard and especially Danny, it was OUR error in not noticing that the area had not been primed and readied well before Danny started to do the actual painting.




We brought the situation to the attention of the AHB and were a little taken aback by their response that this area of repair was NOT part of the original price quote…however since Danny spent more than the estimated number of hours painting due to the contaminated paint and AHB choose not to charge us for the additional hours of Danny’s time, we thought it best to let the situation be as it may and have the additional repair done at the end of this boating season.

Happy Father's Day Captain Mark

This happens to be the 42nd Father's Day that Captain Mark and I have celebrated. Since this is, I think, a major accomplishment I thought it should be celebrated by being treated to breakfast and a shopping adventure. As most of you know, in addition to being a terrific father, Captain Mark was also an accountant in his former life. In fact, he was a cost accountant which by definition and deed means he is "cautious" with his money to say the least.

The last time that I had the chance to see him open his wallet I noticed (after all the moths had flown away) that his wallet was literally falling about at the seams. Add to this an odd conundrum…he also likes to own quality (not cheap) items in life. So for Father’s Day it was decided that we would head to the recently noted Coach Store at a nearby outlet mall.
Captain Mark’s logic, and it is very sound indeed, is that if designer items are purchased at the outlet mall then both his desire for frugality and quality are met in the same transaction. As he was trying out new money clips he was heard mumbling that it was extremely important that he have a money clip that still held tight with only one or two bills in place as this was all that he had left...




PS While at the mall, the Deck Monkey got the following: a new outfit from Chico’s, a summer tote from Coach, candles at the Yankee Candle Store and products from Bath & Body Works.

Meet ATWKWMNBN

As several of you have noted, yes we do have four grandchildren aka The Wunder Kids and yes, there has only been mention of three such Wunder Kids to date. That is not because we play favorites or that I have not had time or the inclination to introduce all four Wunder Kids but rather that the fourth Wunder Kid was ADAMANT that I do not hint, mention or in any way acknowledge him via the blog/internet by name or by picture. He did tell me that I could refer to him As The Wunder Kid Who May Not Be Named or ATWKWMNBN for short. When we started this trip ATWKWMNBN was in the first grade and he learned in school that children should not have their name or photo posted to the internet because then they would be at risk of being kidnapped. Now ATWKWMNBN is a very serious young man and takes to heart the rules of life especially if told to him by a teacher. He went so far as to be very concerned that his Aunt Beth and her pugs, as well as his siblings were all at risk because I both mentioned them and posted their pictures to the blog.

ATWKWMNBN is a charming, intelligent and extremely good looking young man and it has been very difficult for me NOT to brag about him and his accomplishments these past few years. He is an excellent chess player and he has won both money and trophies as a result of his ability to do well while amassing points while playing in US Chess Federation sanctioned tournaments. When we were back in the Midwest this winter ATWKWMNBN and Captain Mark jointly played in a sanctioned tournament where ATWKWMNBN tied for first place in his age group and together they placed third in the Adult/Child team category. After much whining on my part, ATWKWMNBN did agree to allow me to post this picture of him on the blog.




Then something wonderful happened, ATWKWMNBN realized that having his picture and first name mentioned on his grandmother’s blog might not be the worst thing that could happen to him in life. When talking with him on the phone recently I once again asked if I could talk about him on the blog and he said “I guess it would be okay, Grandma.” I was shocked and pleased beyond words, so therefore without further ado, please meet our grandson Mark.

Annapolis: We will be here a while

We have decided to have Annapolis Harbor Boatyard repair the two doors that were damaged during the break in of the Lolligag earlier this year. While not owned by the Annapolis Sailyard, AHB does a lot of work on Nordic Tugs and we therefore feel very confident and comfortable with our choice to have them complete the work.

In a round-about backhanded way it is a strong testament/compliment to the structure of the doors and the locks on our Nordic that the thieves were not able to gain entry to the boat via the doors. However, what did happen was that the aft door and port side door were rather badly scratched, dented and messed up by the attempts of the bad guys before they gave up trying to get in the doors and broke a window instead. While we would never do so, it would have probably been better to just leave the door unlocked and let the idiots come into the boat to take our stuff without having to do so much structural damage to the outside of the boat.



It looks like we will be here for at least a week or longer depending on the weather. We will need a clear weather window of at least 48 hours so that the primer and subsequent paint coats can dry sufficiently.

Back to Annapolis

The storm passed rather quickly last night and today we awoke to cooler weather and bright blue skies. As we look around our anchorage we see that our new Nordic friends Ken and George aboard Buster had shared our anchorage and were heading out. It is our hope to see them again soon.

As we leave Solomons Island we see the very famous motor vessel Freddy Freddy. Everyone who has traveled the ICW or the Loop knows of Freddy Freddy as the vessel that defies adequate description…a picture is truly worth a thousand words in this case.

Our destination today is Annapolis. We are going get a quote and hopefully have the doors repaired that were damaged by the bad guys when they broke into our boat. Scott of The Annapolis Sail Yard, which is the Nordic Tug dealer in Annapolis, very graciously offered us the use of their docks while seeing about the repairs.

Traveling north along the Maryland coast we saw three of the Lolligag’s cousins anchored and awaiting their call into action.



A little further north, we saw this ocean freighter and the pilot tug preparing to depart. Please note the difference in size of the two vessels and know that the pilot tug (the smaller ship) is not quite but almost twice the size as the Lolligag – it puts it all into perspective to say nothing of the pecking order on the open seas.




We hail The Annapolis Shipyard and Scott comes to the end of the pier to show us where we will dock. He tells Captain Mark to take a hard starboard turn and then back into the first available slip on his starboard side…what Scott omits to tell us until we see it for ourselves is that the slips are just a little TIGHT!




Hours on the water: 6
Nautical miles traveled: 46.1
Number of bridges to be opened: 0
Time spent waiting at bridge: 0
Next Destination: Uncertain at this time
What we are listening to: Finished 1000 White Women by Jim Fergus
Lesson for the day: Captain Mark does a terrific job of getting us in our slip!
Obligatory knitting report: Finished Blue/black/gray striped socks for Captain Mark

Solomons Island: Third Time is the Charm

The trip back across the Bay to the western shore was not all bumpy and thrilling. In fact when we left early Monday morning, the day was already rather hot and humid with the sun fully shinning. As we made our way back out Onancock Creek we once again were able to enjoy the scenic and lovely leisurely ride.



After our exciting westerly ride with the waves across our beam, we turned in a northerly direction and the waves were now on our stern. This meant that the waves now worked with us, not against us. The day grew increasing more humid and uncomfortable.

We snuck back into Solomons Island, Maryland without Calvert’s Marina knowing that we were in the area. We headed to the anchorage area at the north end of town as our destination.

Monday evening was pleasant enough sleeping without the air conditioning but when we awoke Tuesday morning the humidity was so thick that it was almost intolerable. So we rode around the area in the dinghy and then headed into town to the grocery and West Marine – the two places we always seem to go no matter what city we are in.



Almost immediately in the late afternoon the wind shifted and the temperature dropped by at least twenty degrees. The dark clouds rolled in quickly and were like none that we had ever seen before. These photos do not do justice to the odd and fierce nature of the sky.



Then the rain came and came and came some more. After the storm let up some and our TV satellite system came back on, we learned that we were on the outer limits of an extremely violent storm that struck the Annapolis and Baltimore areas full force. While we had lots of rain and some pretty powerful winds throughout the evening our anchor held and we did just fine in our anchorage. It does seem odd that each of the three times that we have been in Solomons Island we have had severe weather that has included high winds, heavy rain and lots of lightening. Maybe there is something to the Calvert Curse after all.

Hours on the water: 7.5
Nautical miles traveled: 61
Number of bridges to be opened: 0
Time spent waiting at bridge: 0
Next Destination: Annapolis
What we are listening to: 1000 White Women by Jim Fergus
Lesson for the day: Three times in Solomons Island is enough
Obligatory knitting report: Blue/black/gray striped socks for Captain Mark

Just Another Day at Sea

I received a special request from our daughter, Samantha that I refrain from posting so many pictures in slide shows. She said "Good Grief, Mom just make a movie - it would be so much easier for everyone!" So being the accommodating and ever attempting to please mother that I am, I started experimenting with making videos with my camera.

Here is my first video for the blog. I shot this from inside the Lolligag as we crossed east to west from Onancock, Virginia to Solomons Island, Maryland. The waves were on our port beam for much of the trip until we turned course in a northerly direction. Once we turned north, the waves were on our stern and just pushed us along wonderfully. Please note that our front hatch cover was coming undone as result of the waves coming over the front. This may not be for the faint of heart, so Lisa, Nathanial and Dianna take heed, but as you can tell, I love traveling in seas like this! Enjoy!

PS Don't forget to turn on the sound on your computer for the full effect.

Tangier Island

Following breakfast, we needed to get back to the Onancock City Wharf by 10a in order to catch the ferry to Tangier Island. We had been forewarned NOT to take our boat to Tangier due to the low waters/sandbars but to take the ferry so this is what we did. The ferry is in actuality a commercial fishing vessel that has seats installed. The cost for a round trip fare was $25 each. I think it gave Captain Mark an odd feeling to be a passenger rather than the captain even though he would never admit it.



This tiny island which sits in the middle of the Chesapeake about half way between the western and eastern Virginia shores is only accessible by boat or by plane. The odd thing about its location is that while the island is much closer to Maryland, it has always been part of Virginia. The island is only about 1 mile wide and 3 miles long and has about 700 residents. In the past, the men of the island made their living as crab and oyster fisherman. However, due to the environmental and governmental controls, the Tangier Waterman is rapidly becoming the endangered species. With the number of fishing licenses being seriously curtailed and restricted, the younger residents of Tangier must look elsewhere for a means of making a living. For the first time ever in the 300+ years of fishing history of Tangier Island, no one from the current high school graduating class will be signing on as a Tangier Waterman this July.

First discovered by John Smith in 1608, the island was settled by immigrants from Cornwall, England starting in the late 1600s. Due to the isolated location and harsh living conditions the island did not attract new settlers in the same way as the Virginia and Maryland mainland. Therefore the descendents of the original Cornish inhabitants became rather cloistered and to this day maintain their own dialect. Not Olde English, the dialect is American English with a thick Cornish accent sprinkled with unique terms for otherwise common items. Both Captain Mark and I were most anxious to hear this “talk” and were very disappointed when we discovered that the residents “sounded and talked” just like everyone else when they spoke to us. However, when they spoke with each other, they quickly slipped into their own way of rapidly speaking with the heavy accent. We just sat there and listened in awe and delight.

Upon arriving on the island, we took a twenty minute narrated tour of the island via a golf cart as there are less than a ten motorized vehicles on the entire island. The residents get around via golf carts and bicycles. Following the tour, we then found ourselves wondering what we were going to do for the next 4+ hours until the ferry returned for Onancock at 3:30p. So we spent literally several hours in the island historical museum which was very interesting and really rather comprehensive and honest about life on the island. Then we ate at the Fisherman’s which is owned by several wives of “Tangier Watermen” and the food was very good and reasonable. Of course, I had Cream of Crab soup and I was certainly not disappointed in the least.

We arrived back in Onancock to find that our delightful neighbors from the evening before were docked at the wharf. This will allow us to get a peaceful and undisturbed sleep this evening - hopefully!

A Do Over Weekend For Sure

It was overcast and dreary as we left Dozier’s but the prediction for the day was encouraging and it was more than time to head out. I don’t think we would have any gel coat left on the Lolligag if Captain Mark had washed the boat one more time. So it was back across the Bay to the Eastern Shore of Virginia with the small town of Onancock, Virginia as our destination with a side trip to Tangier Island. While the day was overcast and the sky looking somewhat threatening, the Bay waters were mostly calm with the ride being very pleasant.

Onancock - pronounced oh NAN cock - is a Native American name meaning "foggy place". This area was originally discovered by John Smith in 1608. As one enters the Onancock Creek, the charm begins. This is a peaceful meandering river that reminds us both of Midwestern rivers, having the same laid back style and feel. The shore line is developed but not so much that the natural feel of the area is destroyed.



We round the last river bend and come to the large anchorage area immediately adjacent to the Onancock City Wharf. As we maneuvered our way around the anchorage area it was difficult to find an actual place to anchor. While the anchorage area itself appears large, due to the two channels that pass through the anchorage and the location of the other boats already anchored, it took us a while to find a spot.

Captain Mark is very conservative and thoughtful in everything that he does in life so it holds that he is conservative and exceeding polite as a boat captain as well. We have anchored out many many times since leaving Chicago. He knows exactly how much anchor chain to tell this Deck Monkey to use and he can quickly calculate the geometry of the way in which the boat will turn while at anchor. He can tell from observing our surroundings how close we will come to other boats or the shore and his judgment has proved excellent thus far. So we drop anchor and set about to acquaint ourselves with the area.

In reading the guide books we learn that the Onancock City Wharf has a $10 dinghy dock fee per day. Since it was late afternoon Saturday and would be dark before too long, we decided to forgo going into town Saturday evening but will plan to see the town on Sunday instead. This was our first mistake…

So we spent the remaining daylight hours sitting atop the Lolligag enjoying the calm and peaceful evening. We note the boats around us and the activities of our fellow anchorage mates. One of the things we both like to comment on and find extremely interesting is how and why boats are named, as well as the named port of call. We have found that a boat name’s is almost a dead giveaway to the personality of its owners. This was no exception as we observed our neighboring boat. First of all, its name is one of those sanctimonious phrases that makes one just roll one’s eyes and think golly gee, how original. As on land, the water neighborhood is ripe with parents who allow their children to run rampant unattended. I will note that the children, three, all under the age of 13, did wear life jackets while coming and going to shore all evening long in their dinghy sans parental guidance. In fact, we were not sure if adults were even onboard. However, we would soon meet the parents – so to speak.

When we are at anchorage, we try not to run the generator too much so as to not disturb our neighbors. This means that we go to sleep pretty much as soon as the sun sets and it is dark. So we are sleeping peacefully when Captain Mark immediately wakes me by saying that someone is calling us…I don’t hear a telephone ringing so I can not imagine what he is talking about…but he hastily dresses and goes aft to see who is yelling at us. Well, guess who…the long lost parents of the boat next to us. It is 11:30p, they have determined that the Lolligag is too close to their boat and that we will collide if we remain in place at this anchoring location. I just look at Mark and ask what do they want us to do…relocate in the dark? Are they nuts? Where were they when it was daylight and why in the world are they “mentioning” this to us at midnight? Seriously, what did they expect us to do…? There were so many factors going on that it was unreal. First of all, with any water or wind movement, the two boats would “swing” in harmony. Secondly, even if we both floated free with no wind or water controlling us, there would have been at least 20 feet separating our boats. Thirdly, why in the world if they were concerned that we were too close did they not bring this to our attention when it was daylight and we could relocate? My solution to the problem was totally different than Captain Mark’s. I said “Whatever” “Bite Me” and all the while mumbling rude sayings as I went back to sleep. Captain Mark, being the thoughtful, kind and considerate person that he is, stayed up all night observing and watching to make sure that our boat did not come too close to our neighbors. Of course, we did not. Since Mark was already awake, at daybreak, I got up as well. As soon as one of the other boats left the anchorage area, we moved the Lolligag as far away from our “neighbors” as possible.

Now back to mistake number one. Since we were up, we headed to the City Wharf. The $10 dinghy dock fee was NOT charged and every store and eatery except one was closed on Sunday. So we walked around the lovely but vacant town of Onancock, Virginia. This is definitely a place to visit when the shops and multiple restaurants are open for business. However, the day was certainly not lost. We had breakfast at Janice’s Country Store and Cafe. The breakfast was plentiful, the store cute and welcoming while Janice was pleasant and friendly. Without a doubt Onancock is a well kept Virginia secret. We should just pretend this weekend did not happen and visit Onancock as a do over.

Hours on the water: 4.25
Nautical miles traveled: 31.4
Number of bridges to be opened: 0
Time spent waiting at bridge: 0
Next Destination: Solomons Island, Maryland
What we are listening to: 1000 White Women by Jim Fergus
Lesson for the day: We did not think it possible, but some boaters are just idiots
Obligatory knitting report: Blue/black/gray striped socks for Captain Mark

Rainy Nights in Dozier’s

Our plan for the next several weeks as we make our way north in the Chesapeake is to zigzag across the Bay to see as many of the quaint and small towns as possible. Since it is unlikely that we will ever be back in this area via a boat, we want to see and experience as much as we can before we leave the Chesapeake. I can not say enough how much I have fallen in love with this area, its history, its people, and of course the food.

Tuesday morning was sunny and cool as we left Tidewater Marina in Portsmouth with the day’s destination still undetermined. How exciting it is to leave a port and not have a specific place in mind for where we will be at day’s end. Now before you think that Captain Mark is being totally irresponsible and throwing caution to the wind, please know that he plotted out four possible destinations for us and will choose whichever one suits us best at the end of the day.

Again the water of the Bay was calm and relaxing. But as the day wore on, the heat and the flies grew worse and worse. I can not say which I have more trouble with…with the heat/humidity I grow increasing more uncomfortable, sweaty, crabby and complaining. Add to that the HUGE black biting flies and I become downright bitchy – there is no other term sufficient to describe the sweating, fly swatting monster I morph into under these circumstances. So in order to survive whilst in my company, Captain Mark reluctantly but graciously allows me to shut up the boat and turn on the generator so that no more flies can enter the boat and we can continue our trip in air conditioned comfort.

While I am knitting away now in air conditioned comfort and the day wears on, the weather prediction becomes more ominous and threatening. Our number one option for the evening had been to anchor in the area of Fishing Bay for the evening and then contact our Nordic friends Peggy and Terry to see if we may visit them at their home on the Piankatank River.



However, as we watched the storms that were immediately approaching and the additional storms following for the upcoming days, we decided it best to maneuver ourselves into Deltaville, Virginia and Dozier’s Regatta Point Marina for safety to wait out the storms. This once again proved to be a wise choice made by Captain Mark as the storms that followed Tuesday evening and each day for the next three days were full of fantastic lightening, fierce winds and intermittently heavy rain.

We spent the next three days watching movies: Australia (two stars) and Burn After Reading (-4 stars and I love the Coen Brothers, but this was awful). I spent my time catching up with the blog, completing several more lessons of my online digital photography class, knitting and basically keeping myself very busy. In the meantime, Captain Mark washed the boat, again washed the boat and then once again washed the boat. In his downtime between boat washings, Captain Mark read his Kindle and played competitive chess via an online tournament.



Unfortunately, our schedules did not allow us to get together with Peggy and Terry during this visit. However, as the Nordic world is small, it is our sincere hope to run into them again in the future. Finally the foul weather looks like it should clear up by tomorrow. So early in the morning we will set out for the Eastern Shore with our destination being the small town of Onancock, Virginia.

Ten Days in Portsmouth & Norfolk

Again we had a bunch of errands and appointments so it just seemed easier to stay in the Norfolk/Portsmouth area where we would be centrally located and it would be easy to get around. Since the Tidewater Yacht Marina has a pool and is convenient to public transportation this was the ideal spot for us to hang out for a while.

On Sunday we settled in to watch the Indy 500 race. While I love watching the race and texting my niece as each of her favorite drivers is eliminated, my very favorite part of the race is actually the pre-race festivities. No matter how many times I have seen the race, either in person or on TV, I still get goose-bumps when Jim Nabors sings Back Home Again in Indiana, the balloons are released, the jets fly over and those famous words are spoken: “Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!”

The days were hot and humid so we did spend lots of time at the pool in between our errands. With hot and humid weather also came storms which left us with a most beautiful rainbow. We also went for long walks in the evenings to further explore the Portsmouth Old Towne area. For a round trip fare of $3, we took the ferry over to Norfolk to find the mall and explore downtown Norfolk.



We rented a car and headed to the eastern shore of Virginia. Our goal was to visit two local wineries and Chincoteague Island near the Maryland state line. As I mentioned in an earlier blog story, the eastern shore of Virginia was accessible only by ferry or private boats prior to the 1960s. Therefore the area is refreshingly free of interstate highways and mall complexes but full of charming rural fishing villages. The price one pays for the easy access to the eastern shore is a whopping $17 round trip toll. We dug deep in our pockets to pay the toll and headed across the many miles of the bridge and tunnel system to reach the eastern shore.


Our first stop was the Chatham Winery. Owner, Jon Wehner, met us and told us the story of his vineyard as we tasted his wine. Located on Church Creek the Federal-period brick house, Chatham, was built in 1818 by Major Scarborough Pitts and named for William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham and friend of the American Revolution. Owned and operated by the Wehner family the vineyard is located on the grounds of the historic Chatham Farm which has been a working farm for four centuries. The wine was good, the stories interesting and as we left, we both commented on how we wish we lived in the area to be able to take advantage of the great events held on the winery grounds.

Our next stop was the Bloxom Winery. Also very nice with all wine made from the grapes grown onsite. The owner told us of his relocation from New York City to Virginia to establish his vineyard.

Look what else I found…they are sporting their new spring dos. Needless to say, I made Captain Mark stop the car so I could take this picture.




Chincoteague Island is a small community that is supported by the fishing industry. This was the perfect place for Friday evening dinner. I, of course, had She Crab soup and Crab Imperial. For lack of a better way to describe the dish, I would call it a cross between a crab quiche and a crab soufflé. Whatever, it was excellent.

Captain Mark on the other hand was his usual fried chicken self…in fact, look what we saw in the parking lot of the restaurant...
Before:


After:


Directly across from the Tidewater Marina is the loading dock for international cruise ships. It was really cool and interesting to watch as these huge ships would spin around in the Elizabeth River to head back out to sea. Captain Mark, along with all the other captains on our dock, said that they could maneuver the ship that easily also if only they had a stern thruster!