CONVOY!

“We got a little convoy

Sailin' up the coast.

Yeah, we got a little convoy,

Ain't we got reason to boast?

Come on and join our convoy

Ain't nothin' gonna get in our way.

We gonna roll this sailin' convoy

'Cross the Jersey Coast!

CONVOY!”

Rock Hall is a cute, sleepy little town with some unusual architecture(?) We explored the two main streets a little with Kelly and Jim from Fairwind, while we sat out a stormy and windy day. 

After a celebration of sorts with Fairwind and Windover crew we all headed for Chesapeake City on the C&D Canal the next day.

Good winds and a favorable current enabled us to make it to Chesapeake City in record time. 

The free dock accommodated all of us for a few more nights as we again waited for the winds to die and shift and a favorable current to take us through the C&D Canal all the way to Cape May. 

Meanwhile we visited the few shops and frequented all but 1 of the 4 restaurants/bars in town. 

Our wait was justified. It was a beautiful sailing day down the Delaware Bay. We encountered a few tugs and barges, a few container ships, but had blue skies and a nice sailing breeze practically all the way.

Our small convoy of 3 boats increased to 5. WOOF (WindOver, Obsession and  Fairwind) was joined by Barry Duckworth and Blue Moon in Cape May (well, WOOF really joined BM AND BD as they had been there several days waiting for bad weather to pass).

All 5 of us began the short (36 mile trek) to Atlantic City. It was a beautiful sail. 

 

Along the way WindOver returned to Cape 

May, But the following day Obsession, Barry Duckworth and Fairwind set sail for Atlantic Highlands/Sandy Hook at daybreak for the 80 mile trip. 

We had calm seas, light winds, and a favorable current to start. Blue Moon opted for a shorter trip with a stop in Barnegat Bay. 

It’s nice to travel with Buddy Boats, especially in new and challenging waters. For us this part of our trip south was riddled with anxiety (engine issues), not the best weather conditions, and nervous anticipation since it was our first trip.  

The camaraderie and friendship among sailing cruisers this trip has been amazing to us. Well, we knew all along that those of us who sail are special people, but truly, we have found some of the best! 

We also marvel at how far we’ve come. Not just in miles traveled, but also in feeling more at ease with Obsession, our electronics, our tide and weather predicting and charting. We slide into dock spaces for fuel without issues, choose anchor spots with expertise, enter new harbors, and are so much more confident with our ability in general. We’ve found our comfort zone, and have tried very hard not to exceed our limits. It’s been such a fantastic ride! 

The best is yet to come. Another trip through NYC and Hell’s Gate, A sail up Long Island Sound to Shelter Island, and then finally Block Island, where we started last August. Newport will be our last stop in early July. 

FEELIN’ GROOVY

Not the 59th Street Bridge, but a bridge on The Alligatorr - Pungo River Canal

59th Street Bridge Song

Slow down, you move too fast

You got to make the morning last

Just kicking down the cobblestones

Looking for fun and feeling groovy

Ba da-da da-da da-da, feeling groovy

Hello lamppost, what'cha knowing

I've come to watch your flowers growin'

Ain't you got no rhymes for me?

Doo-ait-n-doo-doo, feeling groovy

Ba da-da da-da da-da, feeling groovy

I got no deeds to do, no promises to keep

I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep

Let the morningtime drop all its petals on me

Life, I love you, all is groovy

Songwriter: Paul Simon

We really wanted to start moving fast to get home to Newport by the end of June.  

This mile marker along the ICW indicates 115 miles to Norfolk, VA. 

But Mother Nature has a way of knowing what’s best for us. After Oriental we traveled across the Neuse River to Belhaven then from there to Alligator River Marina and across Albemarle Sound to Coinjock.

The Coinjock Restaurant. We never saw it in the fall as we arrived just before dark and left just before dawn. Add to that the boats were “parked” three deep along side the dock. This time we arrived early, cleaned Obsession inside and out, and enjoyed a late afternoon listening to music in the cockpit before heading to dinner. 

Prime rib all around! (Well almost) with Steve and Sue, (North 45) Carol and Ken (No Schedule) and their boys Jackson and Malachi. 

After Coinjock it was a long day to the  Portsmouth Free Pier, arriving just in time for a heavy downpour and swirling winds.  We even had an escort-a tug headed back to the barn after a day’s work. 

This is a pretty part of the ICW

Portsmouth Free Dock

Legend Brewery in Portsmouth

An afternoon at the brewery just steps from  our boat, a chance meeting of a couple from Padanaram, MA, a movie night and dessert in Portsmouth at the Commodore Theater, 

We stayed in Portsmouth for 2 nights, then decided the $50 per night charge for 4 nights dockside in Hampton would be a bit more comfortable. It was! 

Pizza dinner with Toby and Rachel in downtown Hampton. The harbormaster recommended the Hampton Hawaiian-ham, pineapple and crabmeat-oh, so delicious! 

And with high winds and seas and unfavorable currents we stayed 3 more nights on anchor in Hampton.  We were forced to slow down, make the morning last, trip down the cobblestones and look for fun. 

We did! 

The next day we visited the space museum in Hampton, another day we found our way to Walmart on the bus, we scrubbed Obsession (again) and enjoyed the hospitality of the Hampton Maritime Center. 

The streets of downtown Hampton are cobblestones, and we browsed the shops and restaurants (of which I heard 3 of the 5 are owned by one person) Another lazy afternoon sandwich and beer at the Bull brewery just steps from the boat and we thought we’d be good to head out.

Bull Island brewery in Hampton

But it was not to be. We turned the corner into the Chesapeake and were pounded with 2/4 foot waves, 20+ knots of wind, and really not making any progress. We turned around, went back to our “favorite anchor spot” in Hampton and decided to take a 3 hour guided  tour on The Miss Hampton to view the ships in Portsmouth and visit Fort Wool.

The Hospital Ship Comfort-getting ready to be deployed in a few weeks to South America on a humanitarian mission

We finally decided that this is one of the Navy’s camouflage boats. It was moving fast! 

 

It was even too rough for them to land at the fort.  Lunch  and a walk around the docks at Blue water Yachting Center, followed by a dinghy ride down Sunset Creek because we had no deeds to do, no promises to keep. 

A bike ride to Phoebus on borrowed bikes from the Harbormaster, a delicious brunch at Mango Mangeau, a trip to the liquor store, a walk around more cobble stone streets (Cosmo’s stash of RUM was running low) and we found ourselves talking to lampposts, watching the flowers grow and ready for a nap when we returned to the boat. 

“Hello Lamp post-whatcha doin’?”

Mango Mangeau of Shark Tank fame

Our final night in Hampton was a special dinner at the Hampton Yacht Club. Truly, we were singing, “Doo-ait-n-doo-doo, feeling groovy”

Hampton Yacht Club dining room 

Finally-the perfect day. We made progress toward Solomon’s anchoring at Sandy Point near Reedville, VA.

 

Sunset Sandy Point near Reedville, VA

We were hoping to catch up to Fairwinds (Jim and Kelly) and Windover (Chris and Debbie), the boats we met up with in Portsmouth,  but bumped into No More Mondays instead.

We sailed with them to Solomon’s,

We watched this ship maneuver in a tight area, backing into a slip with ease and perfection. 

then continued the next day to Rock Hall 

where we finally caught up with Fairwinds and Windover. 

LIFE WE LOVE YOU

FEELIN’ GROOVY!