May 18, 2017

Washington Monument

We had a great day today, and experienced something that very few people do.  We drove

our boat into Washington DC and saw the monuments from the water.  It was very cool.

There were a couple of breath holding moments when we went under  a low bridge, but it all worked out great.  We are spending the night in Alexandria with the Capital and Washington Monuments in our sights.

Bald Eagle over Washington DC

Lincoln Memorial

  Enjoy our water tour.

Mt. Vernon

Jefferson Memorial

May 16, 2017

After much trial and error, I think I may have conquered the Blog problems on my new computer.

If I can get this out this morning, I think I will be able to do it again.   Yesterday we were in the

tiny community of Tangier, VA.  It was truly  a step back in time.  At one time Tangier was a thriving fishing, crabbing, and oyster hub.  It had been that way since the early 1800's.  Today it is a shadow of its former self.  The boats, crabbing sheds, traps are still there, but due to the regulations there

is very little fishing of any kind done anymore.  There are about 800 people on the island.  A school

that has 100 kids, k through 12.  The kids leave the island when they graduate - never to return.  

The population is shrinking, getting older, as well as the town and the island.  There are very few cars

on the island.  Transportation is golf carts, ATVs, bikes, scooters, or walking.  The island is 3 miles long and maybe a mile wide.  We walked the town in about 30 minutes, and that included stopping at the gift shops (2), touring the oldest building on the island that is a church built in 1900.  The church

Traffic jam in Tangiers

is beautiful with a lot of stain glass windows.  What surprised me was our guide informed us that in the winter the water, which is the Chesapeake, can freeze around them and an ice crusher has to come and break them out.  The temperature can get below 0 with a wind chill.  

One of the many cemeteries

There were quite a few loopers there with us, but nobody stays very long.  When we left in the morning, we all felt we were escaping the twilight zone.  I doubt anyone will return.  We experienced everything the old town could give us.  It really is a very sad place.

1900 Methodist Church

some of the windows

coming into Tangier

May 14, 2017

Happy Mother's Day.  Hope all you Mom's had a great day and was spoiled rotten.  I had a 

great day.  When we woke up the weather was beautiful.  Blue sky, no wind, everything we wanted 

so we left Hampton as fast as we could because the weather was going to change by noon.

Todays port of call was Yorktown, about 27 miles away.  It took 4 hours but the waters were calm so no problems.  If history is your thing, you need to make a trip to this area.  In a week's time you can see over 400 years up close and personal and never travel out of the Chesapeake area.   We walked

on  the battlefield that won the Revolutionary War, toured the town that was burned by the south

so the north wouldn't have a port (Hampton),  Was an important port before the revolution (Portsmouth),  houses the Atlantic fleet for the past 100 years (Norfolk),  Was the first English colony

(Jamestown), and so much more .  Our poor brains are just about ready to overload on history, and we haven't made it to Washington DC yet.  Tomorrow a new crew will arrive and we will get ready

to see more history.  Right next to us at the marina is a small cruise ship.  It is the same company that we passed in Georgia on the ICW.  It makes our boat look very small.  Yorktown is a very quaint

town that all the buildings look like they did in the 1700's.  We also saw the very first monument that the USA commissioned in 1781 to comemorate  the winning of the Revolutionary War.  It took a

100 years to get it built, but it is here now.  My computer and I are battling and I am ready to wave the white flag.  It won't let me post any pictures today.  Luckily our new crew is familiar with Mac and hopefully will be able to train an old lady a few new tricks.  Until then you will just have to imagine what we saw today or look it up in Wikipedia.  Hopefully tomorrow will be successful.

May 13, 2017

Today we were still in Hampton and the weather was better, but far from good.  The winds were blowing, the rain had stopped, but it was cold.  We explored the town and visited another museum.  Hampton

has been an English speaking  community for 400 years.  The three black women that helped NASA

with the space program were from Hampton.  They have a display in the museum.  There was also an exhibit about a slave family that became free.  The man's name was Jim Bailey.  In the afternoon we hosted  a dockside happy hour.  There were 8 of us, one couple had done the loop, one couple has lived on their boat for 8 years and are doing the loop, and another couple we met in Florida at Caladesi island.  small, small world.  Listening to the people talk, we are babes in the woods when it

comes to boating experiences.  We are trying to figure out if we leave for Yorktown tomorrow, or stay until Tuesday, the winds are going to be calm tomorrow, but not Monday.  Weather is truly a pain 

in the toosh.

Hidden figures display

 

very old head stone

St. John's Church

May 12, 2017

Today was cold, and wet.  We met some people last night and had them over for dock drinks 

and decided to Uber to the Maritime Museum today and check it out.  It was well worth it.

There were over 35,000 exhibits on display and parts of the Monitor that fought in the Civil War.  

There were all kinds of boats, models, miniature boat models and interesting items.  We spent 

several hours exploring and staying warm and dry.  I think there was even a time that it was trying to sleet.  The town looks interesting to walk around and explore.  Our book  states that Hampton is "self described as the oldest continuously English speaking settlement

still in existence in the USA".  If you are ever in this area be sure to come and check out the area

Mandan Indians used this as a boat

you won't be disappointed.

Last seen shining before Monitor sank

Instrument panel of WWII Sub.

This 6ft sailboat crossed the Atlantic
in 85 days. Amazing!

May 11 - It’s a rainy cold day here in Hampton VA and we’ll be here several days because of the weather (the wind speed in particular).  We are well into our adventure, so I thought it a good time to express some of my thoughts and impressions so far.  First, I’m impressed and thankful for Penny’s map and chart skills. She has really become an excellent navigator.  She has also become proficient in deploying dock lines and bumpers.  She’s learned all of this on the job.  

This has not all been enjoyable.  We did enjoy the Rahmanns while in Ft. Meyers and Marco Island.  But after leaving them the weather turned windy and we were stuck in Marathon on a mooring ball for several days.  We were experiencing electrical problems even after replacing all four house batteries.  We also had our grandson, Ben, (whom we enjoyed immensely) on board and were trying to entertain.  Everything about running the boat required a steep learning curve.  I started to have doubts.  

We left Marathon even with high winds and went along north of the  Keys which was very shallow going and anxiety producing.  We managed to get anchored off Pumpkin Key which is just south of Biscayne Bay.  We crossed Biscayne Bay early the next morning and went under the bridge entering Miami.  It was there that things changed.  We began seeing things we had never seen before.  Every day since then has been a new experience.  In fact one of the best parts (if not the best) is the feeling of adventure I feel every morning when we start out into a new segment not knowing what the day will bring.  “What will today bring?” is not a rhetorical question!  Every day we experience anxiety caused by one thing or the other, but we never know quite what’s beyond the next bend.  I love that feeling.  And every afternoon or evening we have a real sense of accomplishment (and booze).  Everyday something has to be fixed, and everyday is a navigation challenge.  

We have had the good fortune to have Ben,Teri Rahmann, Nikky Curtis, Lea Craig, my sister, Becky, and her present husband, Doug, with us for extended periods.  They have enjoyed and enhanced the cruising experience.  I only wish my family could be with us and share all the things we have seen and experienced.  I truly believe people who are not here (where ever that is) are missing out.  (Now having said all that, I’ll probably hit a dock, my anchor will drag, we’ll pick up a crab trap, loose a prop, or who the hell knows because there are an infinite number of things that can jump up and grab us.)

So, in short:  I’m glad we jumped into this and am looking forward to leaving here and going into (at least to us) the unknown.

May 10, 2017

Our last day in Portsmouth, tomorrow we head to Hampton.  It will be a long day, 12 miles.

Jim got to walk around the city this afternoon while I went to computer school.  Thank goodness

the class was not full, so I got the full attention of the teacher and I needed it.  Jim on the other hand

went to General MacArthur's grave and museum.  He was very impressed.  We didn't realize that he was buried

here with his wife.  He also got to watch the big ship move to a dry dock.

 There was a large and small tug in the front and the back.  I guess I should tell you all, my email is causing me fits right now. So I got a Gmail account.  My address is pennyjbailey55@Gmail.com.  I still have my road runner account, but it isn't working right.  I will try and read my mail, but I am not that great at that.  We are ready to start moving again and new adventures.   

These cargo containers lifters are 20ft taller than the Statue of Liberty  

MacArthur's Museum

All that is left of the fort that protected Norfolk

Chrysler Museum

May 9+, 2017

I want to share some of the pictures I took yesterday of the Navy Yard.  I wish I could remember all the names, types, sizes, etc of the 20 or so ships we saw.  There are a couple facts that I remember and I will post it by the ship.  Today we went to the Chrysler Museum of Art and Glass Museum.

If you have never been, you need to go.  It is rated 3rd in the nation and Very, Very Nice.  The glass

section is amazing.  They have glass vases from Rome 300BC.  Pictures couldn't begin to show the beauty of the stuff.  So now back to the ships.  Norfolk is the largest Navy Shipyard in the USA.

They build, repair, and update them all.  We saw Aircraft carriers, Destroyers, Tankers, Fuelers,

This aircraft carrier can travel 50MPH loaded

One they compare to Walmart for the Navy.

3 transport carriers

Marines Walmart Ship

May 9, 2017

Time for celebration!  I have figured out , (I think), on how to do my blog.  This is a test

of my thought process.  Only a test and hopefully you will receive this

May 8, 2017

This blog is late I apologize but a few things happened yesterday.  Nothing bad just a lot going on.  Will fill you in quickly.  We got up and set off to explore Norfolk.  Breakfast in Portsmouth, in

a restaurant that the staff from the marina recommended.  It was an old pool hall with on one in

there except the staff,  hint 1. When we ordered, the waitress said they were out of white bread and salsa and would run to Dollar General to get some, hint 2.  I meal arrived but Jim was waiting on the trip to Dollar General.  By the time I finished he just got his and it was not good, hint 3.

We are finally ready to leave and I go to use the bathroom.  There is no working light.  I tell the staff and they calmly state they know it, can't reach the light fixture because it is to high and no ladder.  I use the mens.  As we leave the place I push on the glass door and it falls off the hinges

and I am holding the door so it won't crash on the cement.  They just laugh and grab it.  They

push it open and hold it so we can escape.  On to Norfolk.  We take a tour of the Navy yard and

we saw a lot of ships.  I plan to share the pictures but that is my next problem.  Jim surprises me

with a Mac computer and I now have to figure out how to use it, and that will take a while.  

When we got back to Portsmouth we went to dinner at a 1945 theater that has become a dinner

theater.  It was great.  We decided if that it was at home we would go to the movies a lot.  It was like eating in a very nice restaurant, for a reasonable price.  Didn't get home until late, didn't and haven't figured out my computer, and we are off to the Chrysler Museum.  Hope to have things going 

shortly.  Until then I will be using my old computer.  Yesterdays pictures are on the new one, figures.  keep your fingers crossed.  I am suppose to go to school on Wednesday.

May 7, 2017

After traveling 3 months on the boat I have come to a conclusion.  The waterway is like an alley through the cities and an old country road through the countryside.  In the cities you see the real workings of the city, the storage areas, clean up facilities, and the back of the buildings.  They have their own stories to tell.

Very seldom do you see the decorated area.  You can tell a lot about a city looking at it from the water.  In the country you see how the land looked before we stepped in and made it ours. We keep our minds busy imagining conquering the land with the tools the founding fathers and mothers used.  I can't imagine doing it all today.

Today I got to experience something I hadn't done in a very long time.  Sleep In till the sun was up high in the sky.  We put on our walking shoes jumped in the dinghy and motored off to Norfolk.  W Then toured the Naval Museum and America's last battleship the Wisconsin.  It was really interesting.  We also ran into a couple of boaters from previous marinas.  It is nice running

into people you know.  

We didn't eat here

The Wisconsin is BIG.  885 feet long, 125 feet wide and a mere 50,000 tons.  It was built to cut thru the waves and not roll over them, that is why the bow is built so sharply.  Tomorrow more

Dinghing to Norfolk

Stern of Wisconsin

exploring either Portsmouth or Norfolk.  Either one will be interesting. 

Bow of ship

Bow of Wisconsin

Mermaids are the city's mascot

May 6, 2017

Today started bright and sunny with little wind.  We headed towards Portsmouth, VA.  There were

going to be a couple of hurdles to cross before we got there.  One was the "Great Bridge", it opened

only on the hour, and the other was the "Great Bridge Lock".  The Great Bridge" was just another draw bridge.

The "Great Bridge Lock" was out first lock on our own.  Not sure what to do, but the lock master was very nice and helped us thru.  One down, many to go.  While waiting for the bridge to open we heard from the Coast Guard that the bridges behind us were closed because of high water in the ICW.  That means all the boats

that stayed  in Coinjock are now stuck there until the water goes down.  There is no other way to get to

Norfolk.  Yesterday was bad, but at least we can keep moving north.  We are staying in Portsmouth for

One of our neigbors

several days.  Lots to see and do.  Across the water from us is an aircraft carrier, and 2 battleships.  Behind

Great Bridge Lock

Neighbor across the water

Welcome to Portsmouth

us is another aircraft carrier.  The weather turned wet and cold but we have a nice town to roam around in, so it is all good. 

Family Outing

Great Bridge

Flooded shorline

May 5, 2017

We left Coinjock on a very wet dismal morning.  The boats were so closely parked together Jim wasn't sure how to work our way out.  He asked the fellow captains just standing around on the dock for some help

and we were off with out a hitch.  One of the fellow captains was with us went we made our over night crossing of the Gulf of Mexico in November.  We never saw his boat, only heard him call in every thirty minutes like we did so no one in a little armada got lost.  What a small world.  We reached the North landing River just as a thunder storm started.  Fun Times!  We entered the ICW

A very soggy morning in north Carolina

A Carolina wet out

 when the worse part of the storm

was there. A boat in front of us slowed down to a crawl and we couldn't see him very well in front of us.

It was like a blizzard of rain, with thunder and lighting.  Jim had to rely on his instruments, as we couldn't see the markers.  The trip today was only 37 miles and as we reached this evenings marina, the storm reached

its end too. The only good thing about the ride was the boat received very very long cold shower and rinsed off all the salt water.  Now for some good news....We are now in Virginia and I have spent the afternoon calculating and I know where we will be on a certain dates.  So if there are any  hardy, people who would care to try living on the boat for a few days,  here are a the dates and where we will be.  First come first serve for reservations.  No

skill required, just has to like to party, relax, enjoy the scenery, and maybe cast a few lines everyday.

Rain stopped in Virginia

May 27, 28, 29---Cambridge, Maryland

 

Come and stay and head north with us.  New Jersey is not too far away.

May 4, 2017

Once again our crew leaves and the weather turns sour.  Crossing Albemarle Sound,

the wind was pushing 20 miles per hour, the waves were about 2 feet high, and the crab traps were everywhere.  We didn't get to ride the waves but plow and buck cross them.  It was a rockin' n rollin'

morning.  One thing about leaving at 6:00am you reach your destination before noon and you don't really feel that you have been traveling for 6 hours.  We were the first people to check into the marina and within 2

hours a 1100ft of dock space was full.  They were either loopers or fishermen.  Then this evening one of the looping boats had happy hour and invited the loopers before we all went to the restaurant that has made Coinjock famous.  They serve a 32 ounce prime rib that is very good and we have heard you make reservations because people will drive hours to get the meal,  Of course we had the prime rib, not 32 ounces, just 16 and it was good.  I guess it lived up to it's name.  There were all kinds of boats and people.  Some were just starting, some were almost finished, one guy was 80 years old and going by himself, and one guy was blind. His girlfriend plotted the course and he sat in the captains chair.   More power to them.

I really felt like a looper tonight, part of a group, not a lone ranger.  It is nice but I like being on our own too.

Tomorrow we travel a whopping 30 miles and go to Chesapeake in Virginia.  We are eating up those states.

No pictures today.  There really wasn't anything to take a picture of, just angry brown water, and a shore line that looks like Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

May 3, 2017

It was another day of exploration.  We went south on the Outer Banks to Cape Hatteras, and a

few miles further.  The weather was perfect and the streets all dry and ready for the next high tide and windy day.  We finally got to the part of the Outer Banks that I had always seen in pictures, a lot of empty land, sand dunes, and of course water.  It is beautiful.  The best way to describe it is imagine a dark tan wall

on both sides if the road.  You can't see over it and when the wind is blowing you are sand blasted by it.

We finally reached Cape Hatteras lighthouse and it was worth the trip.  This lighthouse is the tallest brick

lighthouse in the USA, and the next tallest in the world.  Poland has the tallest.  To make things more interesting it was moved from it's original sight , 1500 feet back so it would not fall into the ocean as the 

sand is always moving away from the water.  There are 257 steps up, and we all made it to the top. The house was built in 1857.  After we went to the lighthouse we drove to the Graveyard of the Atlantic museum.

We learned in the past 300 years on the North Carolina coastline alone there have been 2000 shipwrecks!

If you add the coastline of Virginia and North Carolina there have been 5000 shipwrecks.  The last was

in 1969, a lot during WWII because of the German U Boats.  That is one reason there is an  Inter Coastal Waterway now.  We also saw, I thought a very strange way of carrying your fishing poles.  But here it seems

pretty common.  It is on the front bumper of you car or truck.  Not sure why, but a lot of people do it.

Tomorrow we leave the Outer Banks and head to Virginia. 

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Goin' Fishin'

Where lighthouse use to be

Maps of shipwrecks on the Outer Banks

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse