2011-10-27 - to Myrtle Beach, SC (mile 354)

Floating dock showing the low tide



Lovin' the carousel

We left the anchorage in goodime this morning -8:00am.  We were trying to head to Myrtle Beach today as Connor has been talking non-stop about Magiquest - a Wizard and Wand amusement at Broadway on the Beach in Myrtle Beach.  When we (mistakenly) told him that it could be the next day, he couldn't contain himself.  A few days ago we thought that it may be a week away, but the currents had been in our favour and we were making great time.  It was a 10-hour day ahead of us and, because we did a 10-hour day the day before, we didn't know that it would be possible - especially with the shifting of currents.  We plodded on for the full 10 hours.  I took the wheel for a bit while Kerry had a very quick shut-eye.  The tides were very low later in the day.  Many of the boats at the private docks were low in the water or on the sand.  On the radio we could hear marinas turning people away because of the exceptionally low water.  We had to not only watch our position on the GPS, but also use the visual cues in the water to watch for shifting sand bars.  Just before Myrtle Beach, is a place called Rockpile.  It is called this because of all the exposed rock in this area.  With the low tide, we could clearly see why it was named this way.  Again, we kept in the centre and plodded on.   We finally pulled into Barefoot Landing, Myrtle Beach at 6:00pm.  We did a quick clean up and jumped to shore.  Barefoot Landing.  This is a several acre park with shops and amusements.  Connor tried the mirror house and laser challenge and Dylan insisted that we didn't leave until he got a ride on the carousel (twice).  We hobbled back to the boat at 10pm....tucked everyone in and called it a night.  Tomorrow, will be another busy day!

2011-10-26 - Carolina Beach, NC (mile 295)

School is interrupted to watch dolphins playing in the morning.

Dolphins!

2011-10-25 - to Swansboro, NC (mile 229)

Happy Birthday, Mom!!  We left the anchorage today at 10:15am.  We ended up pulling into Moorehead City for gas, water, etc. for about 45 minutes mid day.  I ran out to the corner store to grab some quick supplies while Kerry filled and emptied tanks.   We even both squeezed in a shower while we were there - how perfect was that!  The neat part of our day was that we saw DOLPHINS for the first time.   We all sat out on the back and watched as 5 - 10 swam near the boat.  Kerry even saw one make a big jump out of the water.  It was very cool!  We baked a cake and it was complete by the time we pulled into the anchorage.  This was a very small, out of the way, anchorage that Kerry had found.  As we pulled in he noticed another large jelly fish and Connor scrambled again to see it as he has seen several different kinds so far this trip.  As the sun set we watched pelicans fly and swoop clumsily into the water after their dinner.  It was another great day!

2011-10-24 - to Oriental, NC (mile 181.5)

2011-10-23 - to Pungo River, NC (mile 127.5)

2011-10-22 - to Broad Creek, VA (mile 61)

2011-10-21 - to Great Bridge, VA (mile 11.9)

We left Deltaville this morning at 7:15 heading to Norfolk, VA and "Mile 0" of the intercoastal waterway.  We flew the entire way as the wind was on our beam.   We averaged 9 knots on the outside.  We ended up passing right by Norfolk and ended up settling in at a town dock in Great Bridge at mile 11.9 of the ICW.  There were several boats waiting out the night here as well.  Some even rafted onto others so that they could spend the night.  The town was quite close so we unloaded and headed out for a walk.  It was probably one of our most longest days....as we logged over 70 miles!

2011-10-20 - in Deltaville, VA

2011-10-19 - to Deltaville, VA

When we woke this morning it was really windy and raining...not what the forecast predicted.  We could not get Internet on Tangier Island at all which was frustrating.   We are using a 'Mifi' from Verizon for the US portion of the trip, but it was not catching a signal.  I had since learned that high speed didn't come to Tangier until spring last year, so catching a connection on the island to do a quick check on weather didn't work either.  As I was walking into town, the weather died down completely and the sky became blue.  It must have been a front passing through.  I hurried back to the boat to find out what Kerry had picked up for weather on the marine radio.   After another check we said good-bye to Milton Parks and his many cats and headed out to Deltaville.   It was only a 4-hour run so it wasn't so bad.  We probably need to stay here tomorrow.  First, laundry is approaching critical levels...and, the weather is not  going to be great.  We'll see tomorrow!

2011-10-18 - to Tangier Island, VA

  

What a day…where to begin.  First, we left Solomons Island at 7am thinking we would be sneaking out of the anchorage before anyone else woke.  As we were pulling anchor we could see a few boats stirring as well.  As we left the channel into the Bay we knew we were not alone.  There was about 20 or so boats all in pursuit of another location.  This is probably the first time that we have been around other boats going south.  I feel that we are now on the right track.  It was a relatively easy day. ..just a few crab pot mine fields to go through, but that was it. Kerry managed that one though, as we had to do a few hours of school work.   Our destination today was Tangier Island, Virginia with a population of less than 1000.  Most of the inhabitants speak a unique English Restoration era dialect of American English.  Each of the original inhabitants' surnames, many of which are still found on the island, originated in the UK.  The main industry is crabbing and tourism and it is evident with the many crab shacks and boats that encircle the island.   We pulled up to Parks Marina and Milton Parks, who is the owner of this marina, helped us tie up. He is a very sweet 80-year old man that has lived on Tangier for all of his life.   He has only 3 slips and we are the only ones here.  We realized that we were the only visitors to this island. 

After we docked we decided to jump onto shore and explore the town.  It is so quaint  and it reminded me a lot of what the towns are like in the Bahamas.  I just love the feel of these little towns.  We walked the small streets, pulling aside only for golf carts and bicycles.  A man stopped for a moment as he noticed we were a cruising family.  He was also a cruiser and came up this way over a year ago.  He ended up staying and now he runs the local history museum.  He offered to open up the museum if we were interested.  We had decided to do that tomorrow if were staying and try to find the beach instead.  He had also mentioned that the beach was one of the best in the Chesapeake.  We would be silly not to try to find out for ourselves.  It was about a mile away but the thought of dipping our feet in the water kept all of us going.

After a few winding roads, a couple of little bridges we made it.  It was beautiful.  By the time we were done both boys were soaked and very happy!  We walked back and found our way to Lorraine’s Restaurant (Milton Parks granddaughter served us).  Connor was intent on trying crabs since he has seen so much of the industry over the last couple of weeks.   He loved it!  Dylan had a Dr. Pepper and most of my fish dinner.  I couldn’t believe how much he ate.  It was so good to see that!  I hope he keeps it up.  As we were sitting having dinner we noticed that in the building across the laneway a small window had opened and a lady (turns out to be Milton Parks niece) was selling something out of it.  Connor jumped out to see what it was all about.  Already a few kids had showed up and gone away with a bag of something.  As it turned out, they were having a special day for raising money for the local school.  And, in conjunction with the selling of treats, they were also having a special Halloween Scare evening on an island only 5 minutes away.  After dinner Connor and I walked down to the dock to catch the boat.  They only took people in groups of 10 to the island.  The students in the school put on the event and did a great job.  The premise of the evening was that there was a disease on Tangier Island that was incurable.  All of the sick people had to be quarantined on this island.  It was pitch black when we got there which added to our anxiety.  There was a building there and as we approached, you could hear screams and banging inside.   There was also a scuffle on the top floor that caused a body to be thrown to the ground.    As we turned the corner, we were suddenly startled again with a group jumping up and throwing more body parts at us.  The tour took us on very dark paths as patients from the island screamed and ran by us.  It was done very well.  Connor was certainly a little unsettled by the event, but he claims to love this sort of thing.  He did want me to sit for a few minutes while he drifted off to sleep.  I didn’t blame him.  I still had the feeling that something was going to jump out at me! 

Another couple of tidbits for this town were that there were quite old grave stones at the front of several houses.  We read that they kept them there so that they could keep them safe from Grave robbers and keep them at higher ground or flooding..  Tangier is very flat and, at high tide, some of the island becomes submerged.   Also, the island is a haven for cats.  Milton Parks had 26 of them alone. 

2011-10-17 - in Solomons Island, MD



Enjoying the 'touch tank' -
turtles, horsehoe crabs, starfish, urchins



Dylan tickles a starfish!

We have heard that Solomons Island was a place to stay so we decided to have a break and enjoy the place for the day instead of moving on.  We mostly spent time at the Calvert Marine Museum.  We are anchored just outside the dinghy dock so it was a very short little skip and we were there.  It was again a great way to spend a Monday - on a field trip.  It was such a great learning museum.  At each station, there was an interpreter that would give an overview and ask any questions.  It was very thorough and Connor asked so many great questions.  It was great.  The main areas were a sting ray tank, fossils, and local ecology.  There was also another fabulous lighthouse.  This area is very rich in fossils and we learned how the Chesapeake was formed over the millions of years and how the sediments were laid down in the cliffs.  One great surprise was when the other boat, Larose des Vents arrived at the museum.  They had also arrived in Solomons yesterday.  They had also met another family from a boat that is participating in the Caribbean 1500.  This is a 10 day (or so, with weather) trip across the Atlantic to the British Virgin Islands.  The best thing is that you travel with several hundred boats all going in the same direction and you have the support of the travellers and organizers.  I met Julie from that boat, and she explained the details.  It sounds very interesting but 10 days at sea....not so sure. :)  

digging for sharks teeth and other fossils in the sand pit!



Connor's getting right into it!



Getting 1:1 instruction on fossil preparation



Whoah!  say no more....





Another great day!!



2011-10-16 - to Solomons Island, MD

 We decided that this morning, we would take another run towards Solomons Island.  We started this trek a few day ago.  Actually, from St. Michaels on the 13th.  We headed out from St. Michaels and, because the wind direction was right on our nose...so were the waves.  We decided to turn into Cambridge.  It was about a 2.5 hour detour to Cambridge, but it was worth it.  Today, however, we decided just to push through and get there.  The Chesapeake Bay is a great spot for many different anchorages, but, they are within 1 to 3 hours off of the main channels..so, you really have to plan it.  The waves were, indeed, against us today.  Water was spraying over the bow most of the trip.  We were all great though.  The boys seemed unaffected by it all.  I was in and out most of the day, but they quite enjoyed and for the most part didn't even notice that water was running over the windows above their head.  We pulled into Solomons Island finally at 5:30pm.  It was a very busy area for boats.  Lot of local marinas and a good representation of cruising boats sat in the anchorages that run all along the creek.  We squeezed ourselves in and turned off the motors.  We finally made it!  Connor decided that he wanted to sleep in the cockpit in his hammock.  We thought it would only be a whim and he would be back in his bed within the hour.  The wind was howling through the canvas, but he  managed to rock himself to sleep and remained there until the morning!  So, we are now quite excited about the progress.  From here it could be only 2 days to Norfolk and then into the intercoastal.  I am really looking forward to easy motoring. 

2011-10-15 - to Oxford, MD

The wind was, again, going to be on our nose.  We decided to make a short run for Oxford - just so that we could have a head start on our trip to Solomons Island.  As we pulled in towards Oxford, we could see the superyacht, "Silver Shalis" in the distance heading also towards Oxford.  This is a 174-foot ship that we saw the other day on our way to St. Michaels.  We believe that it is owned by the developer of the new twin tower site in NYC.  Not sure though...a quick Google search gave us that info.  We pulled into the anchorage outlined in Skipper Bobs.  Unfortunately, the water seemed a little lower than normal and we touched a bit at 2.3 feet.  We only need another half a foot so it wasn't for long.  There was a 52-foot catamaran in the anchorage just ahead of us that was also on the bottom.  We were all floating in no time.  We ended up moving up in the anchorage to avoid the next low water cycle.  The 52-foot catamaran also moved ahead.   Kerry read the description of the town.  It stated that Oxford has not changed since the 1950's and is very 'boring' - and the people like it this way.  This turned Connor right off and he didn't even want to get off to explore the town this time.  Kerry did feel like heading out.  He came back to inform us that the description was, in fact, on the mark.  He didn't find anything too much to do in the town.  He ended up have a great chat with the fellow on the 52-foot catamaran. This Australian couple has been out for 5 years now and have sailed all over the world.  wow! 

2011-10-14 - in Cambridge, MD

 When we woke up we checked the weather and the wind would continue to be in the same direction as the day prior.  We decided to stay where we were and head out the following morning.  I decided to take the boys downtown for a walk while Kerry did some chores around the boat.  We landed on the couple of thrift stores.  Connor had a great time looking for things for his Hallowe’en Costume.   It was a lot of fun.  When we got back Kerry told Connor about the Crab factory next to the water that another boater had gone to to purchase some crabs.  He wanted to go to purchase one for a pet!  We had a walk over to have our first look at the crabs.  Later in the day, we jumped on one of the city buses to Walmart.

2011-10-13 - to Cambridge, MD

We headed out of the harbour of  St. Michaels (at 8:45am) heading towards Solomons Island.  The winds were on our nose (SW) making the waves strong and the boat, unable to sail.  We were taking a lot of waves over the bow and decided about ½ way there to abandon the path and head toward Cambridge.  The good part about that is that the wind would be more favourable for sailing and the waves wouldn’t be streaming over our deck!  The con on that decision was that it was about 2.5 hours in the wrong direction.   Because we would have to double back the following day….this actually adds 5 hours to the trip – in effect, a whole other day.  But, it was a very rocky day and, I think, it was a great decision.  We landed in Cambridge at the town wall at 3:30pm, in front of the county offices.  As we were tying up an elderly lady came up to us and whispered that she wanted to speak to the gentleman.  After a few tries at trying to decipher her whispers, we did determine it was Kerry she wanted to speak to so Kerry went over to her.  She spoke quietly and pointed to some houses behind the town hall.  I figured that she may be warning of the local bordello – no big deal. ;)  When he came back he whispered…’they have just issued a tornado watch’.  She didn’t want the ‘women and children to hear’.  We hadn’t seen this on the forecast so we immediately checked and, sure enough, there was one in effect until 9pm.  But, the interesting thing was that it was mainly on the western shore, where we were headed and only our county on the eastern shore.  I was looking around at all of the other people in town going about their business.  There was a restaurant next to us that was starting to serve up the supper crowd.  A few local children were playing on the dock with their family.  Surely, shouldn’t they be running home and barricading themselves in the basement?  It seemed like an ordinary day.  Perhaps, they get these warning all of the time?  We were just about to unload our bikes and head out for a bike ride when she came with the news…so, we abandoned that idea and began to ensure that we were all tied up according to ‘tornado standards’ and put our loose things away.  After that, we did brave it a bit with a short walk around town.  Cambridge is another lovely old town.  The history seems to be tied in to the underground railroad and the slaves.  We walked towards to point and as we rounded the corner we saw two news vans waiting in the parking lot overlooking the open water – one of the vans was complete with a  transmission tower on it.  I just assumed that they were there to film any wind effects that were soon to be upon us.  I couldn’t resist asking them what they knew and when they thought the tornado would come.  They kind of looked at us blankly and informed us that they didn’t think anything would happen there.  They simply film the news every night from that location.  Relieved, we finished our walk and closed up the boat for the night.  There wasn’t even a howling wind to make us suspicious.  Quite uneventful.