Playing Catch-Up on the Chesapeake

Okay, I have listened to the criticism that we are way behind in our blog postings.  Notice that, once again, I use "we" and "our" to include Thad as my fellow miscreant.
So this posting will be all about our time on the Chesapeake Bay.  We started on the Bay July 26 and left her on September 4.  Later I will go back and fill you in on the time we spent between Cumberland Island, Georgia, where I last left you, and our time up to the Chesapeake. 

A cool satellite image of the Chesapeake Bay

We entered the Chesapeake when we cruised the last of what I call the Atlantic ICW at Chesapeake, VA (the city) into the Hampton Roads Harbor of Norfolk, VA.  We were a tad apprehensive about going through Norfolk as we knew it to be a pretty busy place, but were pleasantly surprised that we encountered so little actual on-the-water traffic.  The Norfolk area is not the most scenic of places, as it is very industrial, but it is full of military ships and that made it interesting.

Those soldiers on patrol are toting real guns

We had a short hop up to Hampton, Virginia, where we stayed 4 nights at the city docks, a great little marina right in the midst of things.  Hampton gets 4 stars on two accounts:  1. the friendliest people we have met on this trip, and 2. the best restaurants yet, all on Queen St., especially one called Venture.  Plus it had a great area to take walks with Eloise.  The finger piers are very short, so we docked stern in and had to climb up and down our ladder to the swim platform, then hop onto the pier, to get on and off the boat.  Also your neighbors were extremely close beside you, but we had a great French Canadian family, with 3 children under the age of 10, docked in their sailboat next to us, and we enjoyed them immensely.  The children were so well behaved and you rarely heard a peep from them. 

If you could look closely enough you'd see they are reading Sponge Bob in French!

While in Hampton Thad caulked, sanded, primed, and painted the toe rail, just above the rub rail, all the way around the boat.


Wash, wax and polish, it is never ending (he loves it!)

He also replaced all of the window gaskets and washed and waxed the boat.  He likes nothing better than taking care of this gift the Lord gave to us, and will happily work hours on her.  I am so grateful for all of the hard work he does.

Thad and Beezer, hard at work

We also worshipped at the oldest English speaking church in America, St. John's Episcopal, dating from 1610 - that is 403 years old!  The church was beautiful.

The town of Hampton dates from 1610 but it has a very up to date vibe to it and we did not see any buildings they had preserved, nothing like St. Augustine.  We both agreed that Hampton, especially the public marina, had a certain "feel" to it that we very much enjoyed.  And, I am telling you, that we so loved the food at Venture we swore to stop back there on the way south, just to eat there again!
From Hampton we crossed over, about 27 miles, to the eastern shore of Virginia to Cape Charles.  Spent one night there but there was not too much to see or do, at least within walking distance of the marina.  We did enjoy walking on their beach which was, since it was on the Bay itself, more like a walk along a lake than the ocean.  But still, a beach is a beach and sand is sand.  And we were treated to a beautiful sunset. 


Eloise on lifeguard duty

As we headed back to the western shore of the Bay we encountered huge ships anchored about a mile off shore.

Big, big ships, just sitting at anchor, waiting . . .

These are coal ships that pick up half a load of coal from Baltimore, then sit, sometimes for weeks, until they head on down to Norfolk for the second half, and then take off for parts unknown.  They cannot fill entirely up at Baltimore because it is too shallow for their deep draft up there.  This we learned from the dock master at Cape Charles.  But why they do not get their entire load at Norfolk, I do not know.
We headed back across to Deltaville, VA, where we encountered a full day of rain but did not mind as the marina was very nice and had three loaner cars, so we could go into town.  In Deltaville we met up with a couple from Venice, Florida, Don and Nancy, on the sailboat Selah with their golden retriever, Jacob, who we first met in Brunswick, Georgia.  Then we saw them in Hampton.  They told us about a great marina in Solomons, Maryland, Spring Cove, so that became a planned stop.

But first, one more trip east and north across the Bay, to Tangier Island, VA.


Tangier Island's main thoroughfare

  I had heard of Tangier because of the distinctive way the locals talk, what is called an English Restoration dialect.  But I knew little else.  Were we in for a wonderful surprise.  The island is only one mile wide and three miles long and is reached only by water or air. Crime is virtually non-existent and the residents get around in golf carts and on bicycles or scooters.  The men work as watermen, mostly crabbing.

We docked right amidst the watermen's docks & shanties

  There are around 500 residents, and most bear one of 5 surnames. The island is very patriotic and very conservative and you can feel that.  Two boats bring tourists in once a day and take them back out a couple of hours later.  There is nothing really to do on the island but walk around, maybe hike to the beach or kayak a bit, and eat at one of the few restaurants, so a day is plenty of time to see it.  It is such a wonderfully unique place and well worth the trip.  We did a tour with one of the island women in her golf cart (took about 15 minutes, cost $5) and spent over an hour in their little museum, which was incredibly well done.       

They often bury family in their front yards!

Crab pots galore



 But what made this overnight stop so absolutely wonderful for us was the gentleman who owned the marina, Milton Parks, my new boyfriend (don't worry, Thad approves). 

Our beloved Mr. Parks

Parks Marina has very few slips and we were fortunate to be on a face dock, as we would not have fit very well in an actual slip.  It is right in the midst of the docks and crab shanties of the watermen, so very scenic.

Hey, somebody named a boat after me!

  Mr. Parks, who turned 82 the Monday before we arrived, was a waterman for over 60 years and is still lean and fit.  Quite a current runs through Tangier and he brought us into the dock and back out the next morning like the pro he is.  In fact the current was so strong in the morning when we left, when he released our bow line Thad revved the port engine in reverse and we shot backwards out of there like a catapult, Mr. Parks and I blowing kisses to each other.  He is so much fun to talk with and made the entire trip worth it.  Another place we would like to stop at again when we head south. 

Sunset from our boat in Tangier Island

From lovely Tangier Island we crossed back over west and north to Solomons Island, MD.  Stayed at Spring Cove Marina and had the pleasure of another couple of days with Nancy and Don on Selah.

Don, Nancy & Jacob, heading out from Solomons

 Leaving the boat at Spring Cove we rented a car and headed back to Indiana for another week's trip because it was August by then and that means:  THE INDIANA STATE FAIR, plus the birthdays of 4 of my dearest friends, two occasions I am determined to never miss.  So we had a great week with family and friends before heading back to beautiful southern Maryland.  On the way we stopped for the afternoon in Washington, DC, to check out marinas for a possible trip up the Potomac on the way back. Eloise had the privilege of visiting the White House to give her two cents to the President.

She had to do it from a distance & telegraph her thoughts to him

 Two more weeks at the marina meant more sanding, priming and painting for Thad, plus installing a new dinghy harness, greasing the dinghy davit pulley, installing window weather stripping and cleaning the dinghy motor carburetor. The boat now looks absolutely beautiful and you would never guess her age of 35 years.  We also made new friends, docked next to us, Rob and Mary on their 40' dead rise boat, Miss Amy.  A dead rise is the same style as the watermen often use, so we have seen many of them as working boats on the Chesapeake, but this one is beautifully restored as their pleasure boat.

The lovely Miss Amy

Yikes, as beautiful as Solomons, MD was, one month at Spring Cove Marina was more than enough and we were chomping at the bit to get moving again.

Told you Solomons was beautiful

  Finally, the Tuesday after Labor Day we headed back east and north and got as far as Rock Hall, MD, catching a mooring ball in Swan Creek.  Lovely, peaceful anchorage and it felt so good to be swinging on the ball, not chained to a dock.  Both are nice and both have their advantages, but we love the feeling of being right in the middle of the water, all by yourself.  We also took on 250 gallons of diesel in Rock Hall, with the price of $3.80 gallon, another yikes!
Then we went through what we thought was the prettiest part of the Chesapeake yet, the northern section. We swung to the east and entered into the 12 mile long C & D (Chesapeake & Delaware) Canal, leading us out of the Chesapeake and into the Delaware River and, you guessed it, the great state of Delaware.  Stopped at Delaware City Marina and had to stay an extra day because the winds would not cooperate with us and the passage down the Delaware Bay to Cape May, NJ would have been totally un-fun, as in a very unpleasant rolling and rocking voyage. 

Because it can lead to this!

This is NOT the way we want to travel!

And that sums up the Chesapeake.  You can see how quickly we could have traveled it without the month long stay in Solomons. 

The Bay was filled with jellyfish (this one more exotic than most)

The fun part is that we get to experience it again, as we head south in a few weeks, and now we know what to expect and get to visit some of the places we did not do on this go round. 

I'm about to do some damage to one of the Chesapeake's most famous residents

Next stop, New Jersey - the state we lived in over 30 years ago when we were first married.  Funny, we often still feel like newlyweds, lucky us!

A-Hiking We Will Go, A-Hiking We Will Go, Hi-Ho the Merry-O, A-Hiking We Will Go

Uggghhh.  We are not hikers.  We were never hikers.  We do love long walks on the beach (as seemingly do many folks looking for their one true love on dating websites), but hiking inland, away from water, no.  So, what did we find ourselves doing on Cumberland Island?  Taking a hike, what Thad came to dub the infamous "Cumberland Island Death March."

Remember, we had a short cruise northward about 5 miles, or 1 1/4 hours, from Amelia Island to Cumberland Island.  This island, Georgia's largest and most southern barrier island, is a National Seashore, 18 miles long and from 1/2 to 8 miles wide.  There is a huge, beautiful anchorage on the southwest side of the island. 


Not our boat, but what the anchorage looks like

We shared this anchorage with probably 20 other boats, but none were anywhere near to us.  I kind of liked having people "around," so as not to feel isolated, but it was wonderful that they were not close.  It was a very, very peaceful setting.

So, we arrived Friday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend.  After lunch we dropped the dinghy down and whisked over to one of the National Park Service's docks.  It always feels good to get in the dinghy and go fast. 

See how much fun it can be to go fast?!!

There are ferries that bring folks over from Amelia Island or St. Mary's, GA and you can tie your dinghy up at either of the Park Service docks.  We tied up securely, hopped out and up the incline and began our exploration of Cumberland Island.  I have begun taking pictures of American flags and here is the one that greeted us at the Park Service office: 

We hiked straight east, heading for the beach.  Little dog included.  All Eloise's favorite things seem to begin with the letter "b." Ball, beach and boat.  We do not say "beach" in front of her, preferring "the sandy place."  Otherwise, she goes excitedly nuts.  I am the official picture taker of this family.  Often Thad is on ahead of me, as I stop to take pics.  Can you find man and dog in this picture? 

I call this one "Cumberland Island cammo"

So far, so good, as we traversed the pretty, shaded center of the island.  About 15 minutes later, here was the boardwalk, leading to the beach through the sea grass and dunes. 

And then the Atlantic, ahhh.  It always makes us feel better when we get to the beach. 

Which way do we go?

We headed north and walked a long, long (I mean long) ways.  Then we turned back south and walked even further.  Okay, we're used to beach walks.  But we were much further south than where we crossed over from the dinghy dock.  No problem.  We had water and we had a map.  We'll just keep walking until we get to where we can cut over, back west, and visit the famous Dungeness Ruins.  Cumberland Island has a great history.  James Oglethorpe, founder of the Georgia colony, built first on Cumberland, in 1736, a hunting lodge he named "Dungeness." The next Dungeness was designed by Revolutionary War hero, Nathanael Greene, and it was built, after his death, by his widow in 1803.  During the War of 1812 the British occupied the house and used it as a headquarters.  The house was abandoned during the Civil War and burned in 1866.  In the 1880's the property really came into its own when Thomas Carnegie, brother of Andrew Carnegie, began to build a new mansion on the site.

Dungeness in 1958

Thomas' widow, Lucy, also built estates for her children, Greyfield, Plum Orchard and Stafford Plantation.  The Carnegies owned 90%  of Cumberland Island.  Currently only Greyfield stands intact, as the Greyfield Inn.


So we kept walking, and kept a sharp lookout for Cumberland Island's famous wild horses.  We saw hoof prints in the sand but no horsies.  Well, we ended up going further south than planned, and did come to the trail that cut across the southern tip of the island, but we  still had to go back further north to get to Dungeness.  And all of this time we scarcely saw a soul, except when we first got to the beach, because that is where the folks, who come to the island to camp, plunk down in the sand.

See how deserted the beach was?

 Oh yes, they are smart and do not wander up and down the beach, enabling them to conserve their energy for the delightful adventure (not!) for which they choose to come to Cumberland Island:  primitive camping! 
I felt like one of those primitive campers, you know the sort - they actually enjoy wilderness adventures and for them a 10 mile hike is nothing, nada, a walk in the park, pardon the pun. You know, the members of my extended Allen family, that kind of in-shape, outdoors loving folk.  I felt like one of them, yes, except that I was not happy doing this torture which had become a hike.  No, I like my exercise, but this was not my idea of a good time.  Enough whining though. 

Well, as I mentioned, we did have a map.  I will not tell you which one of us HAD the map (and lost it half way through) and which of us was not the best at reading and interpreting said map.  No, I will not tell on my husband.

Vultures we passed along the way - I thought they had come to patiently wait for us to die!

We trudged on, crossed back west and finally, finally came to Dungeness.  And, just as we were approaching the ruins, here comes a white horse, trotting down the dirt path, right towards us.  Hooray - we saw one!  And suddenly the "walk" became fun again!
 I must show you a spot we passed along our tramp - this National Park, though very scenic, did not have a lot to offer in the way of interesting tidbits about this Island.


Yep, it is info. about "living mud."  Yikes.

We still had seen no one for a couple of hours and did not see anyone until we were nearly back to the Park office.  But we did see lots more horses.  So, here are some pictures of what Dungeness looks like now.

Leaving the Dungeness Ruins area, we once again managed to go the wrong way and headed too far west, right to the marshy shoreline, when we had needed to go north, more in the center of the island.

Dungeness Auto Graveyard

Dungeness Human Graveyard

Tempers were getting short at this point.  But we managed to "get on the right track" as we found the dirt road leading up the middle of the island.  You know, Eloise always has, by far, the most energy of the three of us and often runs ahead and back, ahead and back.  But at this point she  somberly trudged right beside us.  We were heartened at one point as we heard engine noise behind us, turned and saw a pickup truck coming up the track.  Oh good, they will see how we are drooping and take pity on us and stop and offer us a ride.  Nope, they just whizzed by, choking us with their dust.  Thanks Park Service employees, from your taxpaying public.

Alright, I'll bring this sorry tale to an end.  After walking anywhere from 11-14 miles (we never did figure out how far), which seemed like a million, we limped back to the dinghy dock, and motored home, with our out of shape tails tucked between our legs.  I had planned to cook dinner, really.  But all I could do was fall into a chair on the aft deck, pleading with Thad to bring me that ambrosia, the nectar with which the Allen family cannot do without, yes, you guessed it - AN ICE COLD MOUNTAIN DEW!

Is there anything finer??

Oh joy, oh heaven, it tasted the best ever.  And then my loving husband made dinner himself.  Yes, he brought out the leftover shrimp, cheese and crackers and other crudités from the previous night's appetizers with the Phillips.  And it tasted absolutely wonderful.  Even Eloise was totally tuckered  out.

One pooped puppy

We stayed up long enough to see the moonrise.  And did not even leave the boat the next day, just enjoyed our peaceful anchorage.

A lovely night, peaceful at anchor

On Sunday we could not get to church, though there is a church on Cumberland Island.  I inquired if there were, perchance, services, but it is no longer active.  It is the First African Baptist Church, established in 1893 and rebuilt in the 1930's.                                        

 Part of its fame comes as it was the site of the September 1996 wedding of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.  They held the wedding reception at the exclusive Greyfield Inn. 

So we held our own service on the boat.  And it was very nice.  I have a Methodist hymnal on board and we used it for inspiration and help with the order of service.  We had decided, long before we took off on this cruise, we would attend church every weekend.  This was the first Sunday we missed.  I love being Catholic, as it affords us the opportunity to attend Mass on either Saturday evening or Sunday morning, and that has come in handy several times, when we have had to leave a marina on a Sunday morning.  Plus, we have had the opportunity to worship at some beautiful churches (I take pictures of each one) and experience the beautiful sameness of the Mass but in a different locale each week.

After church, we dinghied over to the island again, for a lovely morning walk on the beach.  A short walk, this time.  Because THE DAY was finally here!  It was Sunday, May 26, 2013 and that meant - the Indianapolis 500!!  Cindy loves the Race, loves it.  And, praise the Lord (and I mean that), we were able to get the Race on television.

Happy, happy girl!  (notice the t-shirt, brought along just for this day)

What absolute fun we had, watching it and texting between family members, as this had to be the most exciting Race there ever was.  We did not have our Publix fried chicken, potato salad and iced brownies, and had to make do with, yuck, veggie burgers on the grill, but it was still terrific fun.

We left the lovely Cumberland Island anchorage the next morning, passing King Bay Naval Submarine Base to the west, but there were no subs to see.


Love the name on this one.

Patrol Boat (the small one)

Just two largish ships and several smaller ones.  Maybe we'll get lucky and see a sub on our way back south.





I insisted we fly our flag off the back of the boat, in honor of Memorial Day.  I wish I could say we fly it all of the time but, sadly, we forget to put it out.  But here is a picture of it flying proudly off our stern.  God Bless America!