Tantara Log October, 2006
Part 1: Tarrying Around the Chesapeake
This Log entry was composed by Steve.
This month has been mostly about spending time in and around the Chesapeake. You may remember that on our trip north we had a goal to get to the top of the Chesapeake to meet family and for Julie to attend a reunion in Pennsylvania. We did take a little time sampling the bay, but we left a few places to visit on our return trip.
As the month began we were still sailing in Long Island Sound. We arrived at City Island, a part of the Bronx, on Sunday evening, October 1. After anchoring there I took the dinghy ashore to pick up our nephew, Adam Wood, and bring him back to the boat for dinner. The evening was spent recounting our adventures since we left New York, and listening to Adam's account of his fishing trip to Alaska. Julie and I were very interested to hear about Adam's experience in the Great Land, as we once lived in Anchorage. The salmon and bears are just as prevalent on the Kenai today as they were in 1985.
Early Monday Morning, October 2, I raised the main sail, Julie raised the anchor, and we headed down the East River through Hell Gate past New York City. Before we reached the first bridge we were joined by two other cruising sailboats that we would be playing leapfrog with for the next 48 hours. All three of us, and a few more that we encountered along the way, were planning to sail overnight to Cape May, and then, if conditions were good, continue up the Delaware before anchoring for a night. It was reassuring to know that others considered the conditions acceptable for the overnight sail. We were able to sail all day after motor sailing through NYC. Overnight the winds were light, and we motor sailed, arriving at Cape May at Dawn. While we heard the other boats on the radio occasionally overnight, it was a surprise to find one of the same boats that we started with 24 hours before right behind us as we rounded the point. We continued together until the C&D canal. They chose to anchor there, and we continued through the canal leading a parade of sailing catamarans. We had not seen so many catamarans together since we left Florida.
A big reason for the mass migration south was the Annapolis Sailboat Show. We were all headed there to enjoy the show, and most of us were also looking forward to participating in the Seven Seas Cruising Association Gam. We arrived in Annapolis fighting a strong southwest wind. All of the protected anchorages were already taken, so we anchored near the seawall off the Naval Academy. Even here there were many anchored boats, so we chose the empty south anchorage. This area is seldom used because the water is about 30 feet deep. After our experience in Booth Bay, Maine, the depth was not daunting.
The first day of the show I went ashore to reconnoiter. I met with the broker who sold us our boat, checked out the latest Lagoon sailing cat, and purchased a few needed items from the vendors. Compared to the new boat, Tantara can feel small, and very comfortable. My family was very patient back on Tantara, and when I returned we all went into town for a shower and a meal. On the way back to the boat we visited with some friends we met in Maine who recently acquired two Jack Russell Terrier puppies -- too cute.
A nor'easter hit overnight, and we awoke to a rough anchorage. Soon we pulled up our anchor and headed to a protected anchorage further up the Severn River. We were not the first cruisers to find this anchorage that weekend, nor were we the last. While the storm raged for another 48 hours, Tantara was peacefully at anchor on calm waters with only a few puffs of wind finding their way into the valley. While Friday was spent on the boat, Saturday we donned our rain gear and headed to a nearby landing behind one of the homes in the neighborhood. Earlier in the day I went ashore here and asked for permission to use their dock. Then I called our friends from Spoony and asked if they could give us a ride to the Gam. Thankfully Mark was planning to go to the boat show, and he generously swung by and picked us up. Spoony's homeport is near Annapolis, and they were visiting with family. That is how they happen to have an automobile.
The Gam was a meeting of Seven Seas Cruising Association members and their guests for the purpose of catching up with one another, selling a few items, and attending a few seminars. We missed the practical maintenance seminar in the morning, but we all enjoyed two afternoon seminars. Julie was especially encouraged by these seminars because the women who spoke directed most of their lecture to women. One wrote a book titled It's Your Boat Too that Julie purchased. I can say that these seminars and the book had a positive impact on Julie and her enjoyment of our lifestyle. She has been much more proactive in the operation and maintenance of Tantara.
Leaving Annapolis with a fair wind we sailed through a narrow channel in Tihlmon Island into the Choptank. We were attracted to this area because we finally finished reading Michener's book Chesapeake. The book focuses on the Choptank and a fictitious town that finds much of its inspiration from Cambridge, MD where we spent a couple of days. We re-provisioned, did laundry, played in a park and took in the sights of the town we had been reading about.
From Cambridge we went back down the 15 nautical miles of the Choptank and down the Chesapeake to the Potomac. We spent two nights in the Potomac on our 90 nautical mile trek to Washington DC. On the way we stopped at Mt Vernon for a tour of President Washington's estate. We arrived late Thursday evening fighting a strong northwest wind and the current. I had planned to anchor below the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge and pass under the bridge in the morning, but the wind made the anchorage there uncomfortable, so we pressed on to Washington after sunset, but still illuminated by the city lights. We have noted an unusual number of sailors and runabouts out after dark in the harbor.
Our stay in Washington was all that we expected. The memorials were inspiring, if a bit idolatrous. The museums were informative and full of creative and beautiful exhibits, but worldly. Emily and Daniel's favorite was the Air and Space Museum. The zoo, Rachel's favorite, has a new Asian Trail section with pandas, giant salamanders, a sloth bear, and a fishing cat that was busy fishing. Julie's favorite was the National Gallery of Art. I especially enjoyed "In the Beginning, Bibles Before 1000 CE," an exhibit that we visited the day it opened. The capitol was historic, and our guide was well informed. We met her at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, an excellent Bible-based assembly just a 2 1/4 mile walk from our boat. We also enjoyed Indian, Mexican, Asian and American food from various restaurants around the Capitol and in Georgetown.
We walked together almost everywhere we went. One day I stayed on the boat to do maintenance while Julie and the kids took the subway to the Zoo. Along the way they met another family, and invited them back to see Tantara. They are considering a similar adventure and wanted to see how we live. Another day Julie and the kids walked alone to the Mall to visit the National Museum of the American Indian, and the National Gallery of Art while I did more maintenance on Tantara. One day we rode a bus to Georgetown for lunch and a little window-shopping. We stayed in Washington longer than we intended to stay because I ordered a few items to be delivered to the marina, and they did not come as soon as expected. Temperatures dropped below 40 on our last two nights in Washington. On a boat with no heat, that can get uncomfortable. We started adding beach towels to the pile of blankets over us, and prayed that the packages would arrive so we could head south. My aunt in Fort Lauderdale wrote that it was 90 degrees, and the kids are dreaming of a place where they can once again go swimming.
All the packages have arrived, we have all showered at the marina, I have settled the bill and turned in the pass-key (a secure place to leave the dinghy has eased our minds) and tomorrow we head on down the Potomac. Since we will be putting in some long travel days, and we don't know when we will have Internet access again I will post this entry this evening.
October 2006 Second Entry
By Julie
We left Washington D.C. on October 25th feeling satisfied. It seemed appropriate that we should start our world tour seeing our own nation's capitol and learning more about our founding fathers. We sailed swiftly back down the Potomac River with wind and currents in our favor, enjoying the rich hues of autumn along the river banks. After a few days of good sailing in the Potomac and Chesapeake we reached the Virginia entrance to the Great Dismal Swamp Canal. A man lost and separated from his companions named the swamp, but it is really quite beautiful.
We rose early October 29th to be ready for the 8:30 opening of the first lock. The wind was cool and brisk, scattering red and yellow leaves to decorate our boat while the sun rose in a pure blue sky. We were excited as we anticipated our first passage through a lock and all hands were on deck putting out fenders, manning the dock lines, and roving fender. Fellow cruisers expressed their admiration and envy at our energetic and capable crew. When the gates of the lock swung open we hooked our lines around the pilings and waited as the lock filled with water creating a bubble bath effect as Tantara rose to the level of the canal. While we waited, Robert, the lockmaster, serenaded us playing "When the Saints Go Marching In" on a conch shell. Robert (who loves his job) has created an oasis in the yard next to the lock with an island of banana trees and other tropical plants designed to enhance his growing collection of conch shells. Cruisers returning north from the islands traditionally bring Robert a conch shell with the name of their boat written on it. Once the lock filled up Robert invited us ashore for breakfast. The spread included coffee, Krispy Kreme donuts, breakfast burritos, and orange juice. We exchanged introductions with other cruisers and met the great Lockmaster himself, who was happy to tell us the history of the Great Dismal Swamp Canal, including such luminaries as George Washington, Patrick Henry, and Edward Teach (also known as Black Beard the pirate).
We stepped aboard Tantara after the festivities and passed through the other side of the lock to continue our 20-mile journey through the Great Dismal Swamp Canal. In late October there was nothing dismal about the swamp. Teeming with waterfowl and various critters on land, the woods were lit up with the scarlet, coral, and gold hues of autumn. About halfway through we stopped at the North Carolina Welcome Center for automobiles and boats. We tied our boat to another sailboat, creating a raft of boats 4 deep and 5 long, leaving little room in the canal for boats to pass. This was not a problem, as the next lock would not be opening for some time. To our surprise we met two other boats hailing from Colorado. After picking up some free cruising guides at the Welcome Center we became acquainted with our new friends and compared notes on Colorado experiences. It seemed strange and out of place, a Colorado reunion in the middle of a swamp in North Carolina. Mixing with "land people" made us chuckle at the odd juxtaposition of boats and cars, our old life and our new one.
After our second lock, where our crew quickly secured Tantara and ran to help other boats tie up, we continued our travels through the Intra-Coastal Waterway (ICW) in North Carolina. On October 31st we stopped at a marina in Belhaven, NC for fuel and water. While Steve, Daniel and Emily performed chores on the boat and finished schoolwork, Rachel and I rented a golf cart from the marina for a grocery trip. I had never driven a golf cart before, and the busy roads with trucks bearing down on me were frightening, but the other golf carts on the road proceeded as though this was normal, so I plucked up my courage and drove on. We had a long grocery list and when we were in the checkout line I started feeling anxious about fitting it all in our golf cart. Just then I noticed a couple that looked like they might also be cruisers. Confirming my suspicion (a little to their dismay -- "Is it really so obvious?" they asked) I ventured to ask them how they were getting back to the marina. They said they had a courtesy car, and before long our groceries were in their trunk and they were following my little golf cart back to Tantara. This friendly couple had just returned from Venezuela and encouraged our plans to visit the Caribbean.
We finished October in an anchorage just a few miles south of Belhaven. The temperatures vary, but we are still pushing south to warmer weather.
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