Chesapeake Sunset and Norfolk/Portsmouth Skylines- Oct. 21-24, 2011

Chesapeake Sunset
If we have learned anything (besides  ALWAYS keep your eyes peeled for crab pots, trot lines and fish haven structures) it’s that some water body names are repeated quite a few times in these parts.  We have been on numerous Severn Rivers and Back Creeks so you really need to know what “neck”  or  “narrows” you are near.
Our last night on the western shore of the Chesapeake was in an anchorage on the Northwest Branch of Severn River in Mobjack Bay.  It was a very quiet spot... only two other boats that were far enough away that we could feel like we had the place to ourselves.

Norfolk/Portsmouth Skyline
In contrast to the previous night’s peace and quiet, coming into Hampton Roads is quite another experience.  Wikipedia describes it this way: " Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States. Hampton Roads is notable for its year-round ice-free harbor, for United States Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, NASA, Marine Corps, and Army facilities, shipyards, coal piers, and hundreds of miles of waterfront property and beaches, all of which contribute to the diversity and stability of the region's economy.
The water area known as Hampton Roads is one of the world's biggest natural harbors (more accurately a roadstead or "roads"), and incorporates the mouths of the Elizabeth River and James River with several smaller rivers and itself empties into the Chesapeake Bay near its mouth leading to the Atlantic Ocean. " In addition, the Intracoastal Waterway begins nearby.
...so there is a lot of boat traffic.

 And why not throw in a regatta around Thimble Shoal Light, just to make things really interesting.

ahhh spinnakers in the sunlight... reminds me of Colpoys ...

The skyline here is lined with cranes in every direction you look.

The military presence is everywhere.

That little boat with the blue flashing light is a patrol boat warning you away if you get too close.

We were very happy to meet up with friends we had met at the boat show.   They dock their boat in this lovely cove when they are home in Portsmouth.  Thanks for the tour of Old Town, Laura and Carl  :)

Central and Southern Chesapeake - Oct. 11 -19

St. Micheals is on the east side of the Chesapeake, approximately 27 nautical miles from Annapolis Harbour.  We anchored in San Domingo Creek, known as  the back door, rather than the marina/ mooring ball-filled north entrance to the town so we would be more sheltered from the predicted north winds.  It meant we had to dinghy to a park,  then we could walk into St. Michaels from the south.

The streets, houses and shops were very picturesque, even on a dull day.

 It’s a great place to browse/shop and have lunch.

After a delicious lunch  (yummy crab vegetable soup) we spent the afternoon at The Chesapeake Bay Marine Museum; it’s like a seaport village with buildings, exhibits, docks, boats and activities.  “Celebrating the way people live, work and play on the Bay” says the Visitor Guide.
Captain John Smith’s boat used to explore the Chesapeake in 1608

In the Working Boat Yard, Bay boats restoration projects are taking place.

The Small Boat Shed contains a collection of  boats and a recreated interior of a crab picking plant.

This is a nine log skiff, the idea was derived from the dug-out canoe.

This is the Hooper Strait Lighthouse, an 1879 screw pile lighthouse that was moved here in 1966.

The "necessary room" hangs out over the water, and you can guess how that would work.

Interesting.. the outboard is in this little boat pushing the sailboat from the harbour to the fishing grounds.

Boats on the Bay
 As we travel down the bay from St. Micheals to Reedville and Deltaville, we see how many people make their living.
The Skipjack is one of the few commercial sailing vessels being used today.

A crabbing boat.

Tonging for oysters.

This string of barges was being pulled by

this tug...better be careful where I'm steering!

We had to maneuver around these oyster dredging boats to get to the channel leading into Deltaville.

More images of  the Chesapeake....
 windy and calm,

 dawn and dusk,

lighthouse and boathouse,

villages and marinas,

a working fish refinery and the remnants of one,

Oops....not sure what happened here.
...missed it by that much!

How do you know you are in the southern Chesapeake?

 ...when you see your first pelican!  

And we're looking forward to seeing many more.  They are probably heading south, too!
 We are now in Portsmouth, getting closer to the ICW....

Ten Days in Annapolis (and a Side Trip to Washington DC) Sept. 30 - Oct. 10

Annapolis is located on the west side of the Chesapeake, nestled between Severn River and Spa Creek. Technically, we were anchored in Spa Creek.

 We had received some good advice from some local cruisers who told us to get into Spa Creek a week before the boat show so you can get a spot.  In the days after we arrived, the anchorage did get pretty crowded.  That didn’t stop local crabbers from setting trot lines through the anchorage.

 But we can say that some of the time we were the boat furthest back in the creek…and Ben would add that twice a day (at low tide) we were a cottage!

We saw boats big and small.

Now,  Annapolis has many faces.
Colonial Annapolis was first settled in 1649.

The streets are organized around two main circles.

  State Circle surrounds the government buildings and Church Circle surrounds an Anglican Church.  The merchant and residential districts spread out around these circles.  There are a great number of historic buildings restored and in use, as well as old brick sidewalks and streets.  Walking through Historic Annapolis feels like walking in an enormous museum. And Main Street is just a lot of fun!

The U.S. Naval Academy was a neat place to tour. 

This is the crypt of John Paul Jones, the first American naval hero.

Naval fleet of 45’ sloops

 It was most impressive to watch the midshipmen muster at noon- this is a daily routine before they can march in to eat their lunch. Here they begin to assemble

The midshipmen get into formation, the officers step out onto the front steps, and roll call begins, “First battalion, present and accounted for…”  

 How about that for a new lunch time routine at Hillcrest? 

Waterfront Annapolis - The focus shifted in the 19th century from agriculture and the surrounding plantations to the bays, rivers and creeks surrounding Annapolis. This little boy was not bothered by the fact that the crab he had caught off the dock by a string had in turn caught him by the shoelace.  That crustacean was crabby!

Annapolis is a very boat-friendly place in that at the end of every street there is a dinghy dock.  When you want to go ashore, you just motor over to the most convenient spot and tie up while you walk or bike around town. 

Here is Jane, off to buy a bag of ice.

The 42nd U.S. Boat Show is an exciting event... it is always fun to tour through those big boats. 

We went to a few seminars and had a chance to chat with Lin and Larry Pardey after their presentation.  We had heard them speak at the Owen Sound Library about 30 years ago….Lin said she remembers it being a long drive to get to Owen Sound.  This is Larry and Don Street chatting on the dock.

Some friends from the Wiarton Marina came to the boat show; it was great to be able to get together with them.
Andy,

and Shawn and Janet.


Like a Thanksgiving feast, we had a yummy potluck dinner on Dilly Dally…even sweet potato (pumpkin) pies for dessert!  It’s so much fun to keep meeting up with our travel buddies, Lisa, Dale, Madeline, Wyatt, and Marcel, Cheryl, Dorian and Taris from the Thomas Leigh. They were anchored in Weems Creek, above Annapolis, so we had a chance to see another part of town.  And once again, we met some wonderful people. It was a lot of  fun getting to know Carl and Laura, our new anchorage neighbours on Ekotopia. They had lots more cruising tips to share.

Washington DC was a mere 30 miles from Annapolis, so we rented a car, drove to a handy subway station, then spent the day walking around the mall and museums. Although I had been to Washington DC in grade 10 on a Geography Club trip (good old CDHS) I really was looking forward to being there again.
Washington Monument -as you can see, the reflecting pool is under reconstruction.

Korean War Memorial was very unique.

I felt like this soldier was looking right at me.

Protests were going on just down the street from the White House.

At the Air and Space Museum, Ben liked the original 1903 Wright Flyer.

Prior to flying machines, the Wrights owned a bicycle shop. This bike was ahead of its time.

We experienced our first cold weather here.  How do you keep warm when it only gets up to 10 degrees  (50) in the daytime and it’s around 6 degrees (45) at nights?
We turned on our little propane stove first thing in the morning and in the evening.

 When Jane baked bread the cabin warmed up.

Looks like Ben has had a few slices already!
  Our Honda generator kept us supplied with hot water.

  But it’s just not the same when you have had to bundle up to dinghy ashore or go biking for groceries.... I even had my toque on that day.
Guess you could say it was a wake-up call.  Time to pick up the pace and get further south!
"Drawtender, Old Rosie requesting a pass through the 11:00 bridge, outbound."