Day 22 Coinjock to Alligator, NC

We paid our dues yesterday and so we were gifted today.  Favorable winds, waves pushing us forward, and cooler temps brought us from Coinjock to Alligator, NC.

Carrie sailed with the jib most of the way maintaining a good speed averaging 5.5 knots.  John crawled around the boat fixing this and that.  Every day there is more to learn and another thing to fix.

We were making good time in the Alligator River and it was a perfect day culminating in some friendly dolphins swimming along the boat with us and demonstrating their seemingly effortless speed.  As we watched, pointed and laughed Carrie yelled, “This will never get old!” and I don’t think it will.

Bad days are rough. Struggling is hard. Obstacles can seem unsurmountable, but they are just obstacles and whether you go through or around or over, the other side of them can be pretty awesome.  Today we are on the pretty awesome side. 

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Day 21 Norfolk, VA to Coinjock, NC

Three weeks already?! Wow, that happened fast! Well, most of the days happened fast. Maybe not this one.

It was as hot as I imagine hell would be if there actually was a burning caldron for swearing captains and crew.  It knocked me down. We ran the generator while under way and I sat next to the air conditioner most of the day. It was brutal as we slowly made our way down the channel.

Once I was done working for Charter Oak we turned off the generator and I did my best not to be a jerk.  We joked that instead of the t-shirt “sorry for what I said while I was hungry” I deserved one that reads “Sorry for what I said while I was hot.”  Lucky for me, John and Carrie were too busy managing locks, bascules, fixed bridges, and swing bridges to throw me off the boat.

Once we passed all of those obstacles there was a sigh of relief from our captain. In case you have forgotten, or perhaps missed the ‘Carrie toots her own horn, part 2’ John is managing a 28 foot catamaran with one small fixed engine steering solely with two rudders. We were feeling cooler as well because the wind had picked up.  There was a storm behind us and it seemed to be pushing us along. We were feeling really grateful that the temperature was also dropping. Rapidly….

Helen and Patty, I think maybe you should skip to the last paragraph!

The wind kept picking up and the clouds started catching up. Although the wind was making us faster, we are too slow to outrun a storm. This monster wrapped around us like a boa constrictor. And then she struck. As she spun around us our boat went from 6 knots to 0 and lost its way. We were stuck in the eye of the storm.  

John’s navigation programs got confused as the boat changed its course and visibility went to nothing. We were soaked from head to toe as the rain poured from buckets in the clouds. I got sight of a buoy and John got back on target right before the first lightning bolt struck. And then it was everywhere.

We are in a sailboat with a 46 foot mast and Mother Nature started flinging those electric bullets all around us. John sent me inside as he tried to navigate the boat.  We were in a canal so we were in danger of getting pushed onto a shoal if he didn’t keep us steady. The thunder shook the boat, John yelled as the dark sky became light, and Carrie and I saw sparks inside the boat when lightning struck within 100 yards of us. Fortunately, John was wise enough to have had us turn off all the breakers before the lightning came or we would have lost electronics for sure.

As suddenly as she came, she was gone and all was abruptly quiet. You could hear John’s breathing, the squishing of his toes in his sodden shoes. She just left us there bewildered and soaked and shaking with adrenaline. At first we just stood there in the boat silently. Water was dripping down our faces and adding to the puddles on the floor.  Then suddenly we were all talking at once about what we did right and what we did wrong and how shocked we were at how quickly we were overtaken. We tried to convince ourselves we were okay.

When we pulled into a dock that night we were still shaken but had much to do to dry out the boat and start the laundry and eat some food. We got to it. We decided to go to the dock restaurant for drinks to calm our nerves. We settled into a booth and all of the sudden we were ravenously hungry. We ate and we laughed and we made jokes about our crazy day.

I am not sure if the food was good or the drinks were good or the jokes were good. I just know as we sat there with each other we once again found our ground and were able to start looking forward to another day of sailing.  

fishing with sticks and string brought back memories for John

we are the blue pin

we are the blue pin :/

lightning striking nearby and lighting up sky

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Day 20 Henry’s Creek to Norfolk, VA

I love Portsmouth, VA! The ride was a little bumpy and a lot slow but stayed cool until we got to Norfolk and started traveling the inlet to Portsmouth where it was hot, hot, hot, but also so much fun! I’ll tell you about that part later.

First, lets talk about traffic with enormous shipping containers that create maximum waves with their huge bottoms. Norfolk has a huge naval base and they are a bigtime shipping port with cranes painted turquoise and blue as far as the eye can see. I imagine the colors are meant to match the sky but they stand out like a fly in your water. It’s not pretty, but it is fascinating.

The Navy vessels are impossible to describe accurately.  They are towns on water. All gray, all bland, all encompassing. They are stationed at every turn and astounding to see. 

We were headed to a free public dock coming in as the sun was coming down. We were told by the very friendly staff that coming in after 6 might make finding dock space difficult because of a local concert. We weren’t too concerned as nothing has been too busy on the sail so far and also, why would a concert affect boat parking?

HOLY MOLY, the concert was ACTUALLY AT THE FREE DOCK!!  We were floating down the river when we heard it and were hoping the docks were near as it was good music. As we got closer we realized that the concert stage was not only at the free dock but there was enough space to parallel park! People at the concert got up and helped us dock and we rocked and rolled throughout the concert. With our beanbags on the bow the lead singer gave a shout out to us for the most comfortable seats in the house!

The pictures explain it better than I could. Hips swaying and arms waving, we danced like nobody was watching! Food trucks where everywhere including the late night ice cream truck for Carrie and John. The only thing we were missing was Michael who Carrie zoom called in. Every person there was happy and friendly and fun. Concerts are Thursday nights throughout the summer and if you stay, check out The Coffee Shop right up the road for delicious coffee and a very friendly staff.  I love Portsmouth, VA!

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Day 19 Solomons Island to Henry’s Creek

We woke early and headed to the marina in our water filled dinghy to fill our jugs and get some real coffee.  It had rained all night and everything was soaked pretty thoroughly.  The water was very calm and the wind helped us move further down the Chesapeake.  Carrie sailed a lot of the day so John could rest.  She was falling asleep too so I kept checking on her from my post while I worked.

The day was lazy and the trip was uneventful besides some wonderful dolphins showing off for us as we started pulling the sails down near the inlet to Henry’s Creek.  It looked like both adults and calves were enjoying their swimming adventures and it was fun to watch.

Once we anchored in the creek, we made a cold dinner with the veggies we had left and some beans and rice I cooked earlier in the day.  We ate on the bow of the boat while we watched the storm roll in.  We didn’t see lightning but the thunder rumbled in the distance.  We think we are in for a rainy night but time will tell.  This week might have quite a bit of rain but if it cools the air I am all for it.

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Day 18 Little Choptank River to Solomons Island, MD

With the weather calmer and the wind hitting the Sails just right we made our way out of Choptank and headed south.  The ride was smooth and perfectly uneventful.  John sailed, Carrie navigated, and I worked for Charter Oak State College.  We pulled into Solomons Island at just about 1:30PM as I was finishing up a big project and Carrie was hauling out all of our laundry, recyclables, and trash.

By the time we hooked up to a mooring ball for our stay John and Carrie had gotten gas, disposed of the trash and recyclables, and had the black water pumped.   John dropped the dinghy and we all pilled in to head to shore with our laundry and showering kits.  With the laundry started we explored the marina’s main building where we found fresh coffee, a library of books to borrow, and comfortable seating to wait.

It was all wonderful except for the loveable fat corgi type dog roaming the room.  This poor beast smelled liked indescribable nastiness.  He showed no signs of illness besides an addiction to treats, but he smelled very sour.  The poor thing must have gone swimming in the water and not been properly bathed.  Anyway, since Carrie is not a fan of animals, this creature was inevitably attracted to her.  No matter where she sat in that room, that cute little beast would waddle on over and plop right by her side.  After many changes of location we finally gave in and went back to the laundry room!

Once the laundry was switched we borrowed bikes to take to the famous Tiki bar about a mile away.  Carrie and John went flying ahead but I was having trouble.  It was like I had forgotten how to ride a bike!  I could not get it to just go straight and the more I rode the more uncoordinated I seemed to get!  After finally getting there, Carrie and John wondered what the heck my problem was and I exclaimed, ‘I forgot how to ride a bike!’

After settling down at the Tiki bar and feeling my barstool moving under me, we realized it was my land sickness that made me a hazard on the road!  Carrie said she learned on a podcast that drinking helps that.  She comes up with a lot of bizarre suggestions from podcasts, but I took her advice and got an ice cold pina-colada.  I noticed on the way back that it actually did help.  Either that or watching Carrie and John bike home after a couple Mai Tai’s made it seem like I was riding straighter…

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Day 17 Murder on Little Choptank River

We woke relatively late for us and quickly got ourselves prepared to leave, brewing coffee, warming the engine, and pulling up the anchor.  We headed out to the Chesapeake bay knowing it might be a little choppy with a storm brewing but weren’t too concerned. After only about 20 minutes though, we decided it would be best to turn around and head back into Little Chopneck River. It was quickly getting rough out there!

Once settled back on anchor I got back to work and John and Carrie rested as there wasn't much else to be done.  By mid afternoon Carrie and I had our noses in our books and John gave up on napping and fishing and was restlessly fixing things on the boat. This included changing the dirty oil in our generator.  

We all had our storm apps on our phones and around 4pm the watch was on.  We could see her rolling in and she was all sorts of dangerous colors.  It was still pretty muggy and hot so we started the generator to cool the boat down before we would have to close her up completely.  This involved switching on the generator, turning on the power, opening the a/c window, and locking down all the other windows.

By 5 we could see the storm in the sky and the lightning flashing.  Carrie and I decided a cold Mexican dish would be nice so we wouldn’t have to heat up the cabin.  I chopped the onions and peppers, we added a can of diced tomato and jalapeno, and Carrie put the beans in the strainer.  She hose them off and grabbed the ever present jug of water to the right of the sink for the final clean rinse.  And then she screamed!

The jug of water had been replaced with a jug of black oil sludge.  I have no idea why anyone in their right mind would put a water jug of black oil sludge in the kitchen!  Can any one guess who on this vessel was not in their right mind?  John, seeing the oil run out the drain and down the side of the boat starts yelling for dish soap to my left while Carrie is yelling at the beans to my right.

The chopped veggies went into a bag for a later date because the only other cans of beans were stored deep under the bed in Carrie’s room and it was way too hot to go diving for those. We decided John would be in charge of grilling beyond burgers in the rain that had now started. He fired up the grill and we are fortunate we are plant eaters as they were barely cooked before we had to come in as the wind and rain were causing crazy waves and the boat was rocking and rolling.

We dove into the boat and closed the doors. With the generator safe and dry and a/c off and we started eating our meal when John realized he didn't close the window behind the window a/c unit.  The rain was coming down hard, the boat was rocking and the lightning was flashing when John decided he needed to go out and close the window.

Now I am generally not afraid of God but if he does, in fact, count our words against us, I definitely will be meeting his fire lovin’ nemesis one day. My head might have been spinning as I told him what would happen if he stepped one foot outside. My husband loves me but he also has a healthy fear of me, so he stayed inside.  And now my sister also has a healthy fear of me so I will use that to my advantage in the future.

In the end, there was no murder on Little Choptank, but you can imagine what might have been.

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Day 16 Annapolis to Little Choptank River

Today we said goodbye to Michael who boarded a plane for Charlotte this morning.  We were so fortunate to have him with us these past few weeks to help us navigate the water and the weather!  And, of course, we enjoyed his enthusiastic personality! He was always ready for the next challenge.

Carrie, John and I set our course south once again. We made it as far as Little Choptank River, motoring slowly against the wind.  We enjoyed reading and podcasts and all of our fresh veg and fruits as we calmly made passage and found anchorage. The weather provided a breeze that helped with the heat and kept us comfortable.

Carrie made a delicious stir fry on ramen noodles and we sat discussing plans for the trip and points of interest.  Carrie had spent the day looking at maps and re-adjusting our destination throughout the day as the wind speed changed and our distance was diminished.

We were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset before the wind rocked us to sleep and gave us a nice respite from the previously humid nights.

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