PART II - FT. LAUDERDALE TO FAIRHAVEN 2012

After a good night's sleep at the dock, we leave Charleston on June 5 headed for Morehead City, North Carolina.  Another overnight journey -- 31 hours in all.  Again, the day started out great.  Calm seas and blue sky.  In the afternoon the winds picked up and it starts to get bumpy.  Maria, having learned her lesson on the first passage, takes to the sofa and stays there.  She is not ill, but feels better lying down.

The waves are rather close together, so there is a bit of a "buck" in the movement of the boat.  Even the dogs are a bit uneasy, as seen here.  Fred put them on the pilot house settee with him, and Pepper was determined to be right in his lap wanting to be as close as possible.  Gus cannot get situated either, so Fred takes them downstairs to our cabin where they can be more comfortable.  (Note the sunset out the window...)



One June 6, we arrive in Morehead City a bit "shaken, not stirred", but all okay.  Lunch was a lovely Spanish Omlette (store-bought) with salad and a bit of wine.  Ahhhh.  Peace and quiet.

Dinner at Morehead City dock.  Another lovely sunset.

 June 7 -- headed to Belhaven, North Carolina.  Now we are finally in the part of the Intercoastal that I thought Maria would enjoy.  In some parts the waterway is a canal -- very narrow, but oh so scenic!

 

We split our time between being on the flybridge with whoever is on watch and sitting on the bow settee.  There is lots to see.  Fishing boats passing, houses, and LOTS of Osprey nests.  There is a nest on almost every marker and there are babies in most.  Such fun!  Maria and I seem to never tire of looking at each one.  (Sometimes, we are too interested and forget to watch the depth of the water!  We are supposed to alert Fred to shallow areas...)

Pepper is fascinated with the birds.

Darla at the helm.  As you can see, the breeze is a bit cool.

Maria Osprey watching.  The sun is lovely!

"You see, Fred?  Maria has eyes forward..."

We arrive in Belhaven after a lovely day of cruising.
 

Belhaven, NC, was started with a half-dozen lumber companies and a branch of the Norfolk and Southern Railroad.  Today, the residents make their living from a plentiful bounty of crabs, fish and shrimp.  We docked at River Forest Marina which is right in front of the River Forest Manor, built between 1899 and 1904 by John Aaron Wilkinson.  He was president of one of the local lumber companies and Vice-President of the Norfolk & Southern Railroad.  It is a lovely Victorian mansion, decorated by Italian craftsmen who were called in to carve the ornate ceilings and carved oak mantels for each of the eleven fireplaces.  (Though we did not get to see any of it – the mansion has been closed for a year and a half.  They hope to reopen it next spring.)

In 1947, the house was purchased by Axson Smith of Belhaven, whose experience in hotel management was partially gained at The Drake and The Palmer House in Chicago.  Since then it has become a World-Famous Restaurant (again, closed), Hotel, Marina and Shipyard, featured in “Country Inn’s of the Old South, “National Geographic Magazine”, on the front covers of “North Carolina Accommodations Directory”, and “Country Inns of America (Southeast Edition)” and by numerous newspapers.  It has attracted the wealthy and famous, with James Cagney, Tallulah Bankhead, Robert Ripley, Harvey Firestone, Burl Ives, Twiggy (!), Roy Clark, Neal Sedaka, and Walter Cronkite among others numbers as its guests.  (hmmmmm, seems to be a different generation who wandered these grounds…!)

It was a shame all was closed.  Perhaps on our next trip it will be open and we can explore.  In the meantime, the grounds made a great place for the dogs to stroll and “do their business”!

JAMBO at the dock in Belhaven

The Marina provided us with a golf cart so we could explore the town.  Very quaint and not very large.  There is no grocery store; only a pharmacy/gift shop and just a few shops.  We were told George’s is the best restaurant.  It turns out it is closed on Wednesdays.  (A trend is developing here!)  We identified a restaurant for dinner before heading back to the boat.  There were only two restaurants open on Wednesday, so there was not much choice!

 

We went for an early dinner at the Fish Hook Grill.  Not easy getting there, as the streets are flooded by the high tide!  We slog through the water in the golf cart to some parking in the back that is still dry.

Inside we are greeted by our server, Betty.  She explained a bit about the menu and I note they have fried dill pickles for appetizers.  Now, I know Maria has never experience this Southern delicacy so we order some.  They came out piping hot and served with a homemade ranch dressing.  The six pickle spears did not last long at our table!  The entrées come with two sides, and the side of the day is crowder peas and corn.  Yum!  The small peas are delicious and the corn is fresh off the cob.  So nice being in the south!

High tide floods the streets in Belhaven making driving difficult...

...especially when you are in a golf cart!

The clowns.....

 We are back at the boat before sunset and we are, again, entertained by a beautiful show of colors.

 

Fred retires early and Maria and I take the chance to see one of the Frozen Planet shows we have recorded.  As you can see, Pepper was watching as well.  She is fascinated by dogs and birds on TV, and decides she is going to chase this baby chick!

From Belhaven we head to Coinjock, NC.  Navigating the waters is relatively easy – you just stay in the middle of the channel.  We pass through narrow canals and enjoy watching the ibis and osprey flying by. 

 

Maria and Capt'n Fred checking it all out...

Pepper is ever-vigilant watching for birds and stuff...while Mr. Gus snoozes on Maria's jacket!

Maria and the pups enjoying the sites.

You know, Gus really gets stressed out during these cruises.....NOT!

Passing the time between watches.

Our next stop if Coinjock.  It is centered on a particularly loney stretch of the ICW, the conveniences here are welcome for those in need of a secure place to rest, plug in, take on reasonably priced fuel and restore basic supplies.

Coinjock, named by the Indians for the berries still growing in the area, includes a hardware store, barbershop and post office.  It is a good place to stop, either to wait for good weather on Albemarle Sound or, coming north, to recover from the dousing you can get crossing that unpredictable patch of water.

Coiknjock Marina has a popular restaurant and full service bar on the premises.  Its 32-ounce prime rib and crab-stuffed founder dinners draw patrons from many miles.  The marina’s wide 1,000-foot-long dock provides a friendly reception, fuel at competitive prices and quiet, secure dockage with power, water, a modern bathhouse, wireless Internet service.   Basic groceries, beer, wine, ice and a selection of marine-oriented sportswear are available at the marina’s convenience store.  (Of course I managed to buy a sweatshirt!)  The tshirts say "Where in the hell is Coinjock?"  That about sums it up!

Along the way just about ever channel marker has an OSPREY nest on it.  This time of year most had chicks still in the nests.  Maria and I never tired of watching for the little heads to poke up over the nest. 

A common species to spot along the ICW is the osprey, a large bird of prey found on all continents except Antarctica.  Worldwide, there are an estimated 460,000 ospreys.  Ospreys live near bodies of water such as rivers, marshes, lakes, mangroves and seashores.  The raptor weighs three to four pounds, grows to two feet in length and has a five- to six-foot wingspan.  The bird is whitish on the head and underparts and has a glossy brown coloration on the upperparts, wings and eyepatch.  The osprey’s feet are white with four toes (with black talons), one of which is reversible.  Its short tail can be both white and dark brown, and its narrow wings have four finger-like feathers.

The osprey’s diet is almost exclusively fish.  Ospreys typically spot their prey from 32 to 130 feet above water, hover, then plunge, feet first, into the water.  The bird adjusts the angle of its dive into the water depending on the type of prey in pursuit; steep and slow dives are used for slower moving fish deeper in the water, while faster fish require fast, long dives.  Once the osprey has acquired its meal, talons and barbed pads on the soles of its feet help the bird hold its prey tight, and it will turn the fish face-forward to minimize wind resistance.  Ospreys usually mate for life.  Females lay two to four eggs in March, which usually hatch sequentially, one to five days apart.  A common sight on top of many ICW daybeacons is the osprey nest.  Ospreys build their nests on manmade structures and those made specifically for nests.  Ospreys migrate to South American and re-appear in the mid-Atlantic around St. Patrick’s Day.

Maria getting a closer look at those babies!

There are a few bridges along the way that you have to request opening.

And we even had a lock we had to go through.  There was really no difference in the sea heights on the day we transited.

 

Next stop was Hampton, Virginia, Blue Water Marina.  Sorry, but I never get tired of taking photos of these incredible sunsets!

 

From Hampton we cruised on to Deltaville, VA.   Deltaville is a very small town which has evolved from the working waterman’s town into a recognized yachting center, yet it still retains its down-to-earth feel.  We met the boatyard manager, Matt, at the Outer Reef Rendezvous in the Bahamas in February.  His wife, Jen, was our yoga instructor.  The ad for Deltaville in the cruising guide says you “visit a place where life is still simple and traffic lights don’t exist.”  Truer words have seldom been spoken!  The town itself, with no well-defined downtown, consists of an eclectic collection of structures strung out along either side of General Puller Highway for a distance of less than two miles, just before it fades out at Stingray Point – named for Colonial explorer Capt. John Smith’s near-death encounter.  Deltaville suffered a hit by an EF 2 (up to 135 mph) tornado on April 16, 2011, that destroyed a church, the community center and town pool, several businesses, and numerous homes.  Cleanup began the next day and the pool – complete with new showers and snack building – reopened in June, thanks to some hard work and generous donations by the resilient locals (and some weekenders too).  There are still some gnarled trees here and there, and the church as yet to be rebuilt, but Deltavile is most definitely “open for business.”  Well, most of it anyway!  (More on that in a minute...)

We went to Deltaville because it is an authorized Outer Reef boatyard.  We had a few repairs which needed to be made like hydraulic leak, air conditioning board replacement, etc. 

The marina has a pool, one washing machine (with two dryers…go figure), bicycles you can use and even a Land Cruiser you can borrow for an hour at a time.  The first day we used the truck to go into “town”.  We wanted to go to the pet store to get ear mite medicine for Pepper, but, wouldn’t you know, it was closed on Mondays!  (Here we go again…!!!) 

Then we had a short lunch in order to be back to the marine within our hour.  On Tuesday the weather was threatening rain so rather than use the bicycles, Maria and I took the truck and went back to the pet store.  Also wanted to pick up some beer so we went to the ABC Liquor store.  Nope.  They do not sell beer there.  You can get beer at the grocery store.  I ask for Margarita mix.  Nope.  Go to the grocery store.  How about Grenadine?  The have a huge bottle…no storage for that.  Guess what?  They also sell it at the grocery!!!  So….off to the grocery store we go!  Get a few things we needed, then stop at the nearby farm stand wanting home-grown tomatoes.  Unfortunately, it is too early for their tomatoes, but they did have some delicious corn from a nearby area.  Yummmmm!  Should have bought twice as much!

In summary, the boatyard is top-notch.  The marina, however, needs some help.  The potential is there, but needs to get on track.  (The pump out would not work, the power to the docks was lacking….)

We finally decide to use the grill, and Fred does his stuff (ummmm, needs some practice...) 

The "Grillmeister," Fred!

On Wednesday, June 13, we are finished with the work at Deltaville and off to Solomons, MD.

We arrived at Calvert Marina around 7 p.m.  There is a nice restaurant here that Fred and I remember from a couple of years ago when we came to Trawler Fest at Calvert on our way to Dallas.  A quick walk for the dogs, and we are off to dinner.  Delicious flounder and a bottle of sparkling wine and we are ready for a good night’s sleep.

The trip from Solomons to Annapolis is not long, so we take our time Thursday morning.  After a quiet cruise, we wind our way around a regata of small sail boats carrying small “sailors” taking a class.  These kids looked to be 8 or 9.  They sure start them early around here.  We have a nice view of the US Naval Academy while we wait for the Spa Creek bridge to open at 2:00 to let us in to Petrini’s Boatyard.  We had met John Petrini two years ago when we brought our previous boat, Odyssey, here to be sold.  Unfortunately, John died in March of this year.  He was quite a character.  In his “youth” he played keyboard for Peaches and Herb and other rock bands.  He always had lots of stories to share.  I think Fred was a bit nostalgic and that is why he picked this place to go back to.

Geoffrey White, the broker who represented us in the purchase of Jambo, greets us at the dock.  This is the first time on our trips that docking was a bit of a fiasco…we were told that we would be a starboard tie, so Kevin set up all the lines and fenders on that side of the boat.  Then, as we are coming in, they say, “no, it is a port tie.”  Chinese fire drill moving all the lines and fenders to port.  Then we see the space and think it is not wide enough, so pull bow in to the next slip so we don’t have to change the fenders.  Fred brought the boat in just fine, but we stick out too far to get a stern line on.  So…..we pull out, change the fenders to starboard so Fred can back in to the slip.  Then Fred starts to pull in the first slip which would mean the fenders are wrong…….Kevin and I are shouting to go into the other slip…anyway, it was a mess.  We finally get settled, but only after there was shouting among us all.  A first since we have had Jambo.  Communication, communication, communication.  Arghhhhhh!

Geoffrey pick Fred, Maria and I up around 6:30 to go to dinner at his home.  He first very kindly takes a bit of a tour around Annapolis so Maria can see how lovely this place is.  Annapolis has more 18^th century structures than any other town in the country.  On the modern side, this is the first place I have been where they have complimentary citywide wireless Internet service.  There is lots to see and do here, we just don’t have the time!  (Don't know why I did not take any photos of this area...guess because I have been there before.  Will have to catch it on the way back to Florida in October!)

Geoff and his wife, Patti, hosted a lovely and lively dinner.  We all enjoyed seeing their home, meeting their dog, Benji, and hearing stories.  One favorite was when Patti was eight years old and on a cruise with her parents.  Eddie Fisher and Debby Reynolds were also on the cruise.  Patti was hanging out with some other children on the cruise, and a “dare” was made for her to crawl inside the serving cart going in to the Eddie Fisher room.  Patti, being Patti, took the dare and managed to get into their stateroom.  When Eddie was pouring coffee, he spilled some and it landed on Patti.  She cried and they comforted her, thus starting a relationship that lasted the rest of the cruise!  What a little devil she must have been….!!!

Friday, June 15, we are off the dock for the 9:00 a.m. bridge opening and headed to the Chesapeake and Delaware canal and the Summit North marina.  The day is beautiful, though a bit chilly.  Once in the canal, Maria and I (and, of course, the dogs!) sit on the bow taking in the sun and watching all the osprey and herons.  Arrival at the marina is around 4:30 p.m. 

The marina is on the north side of the canal and the mature-forest peace and quiet of Delaware’s Lums Pond State Park.  The entrance is rather “skinny” as far as depth goes, but once inside it is just fine.  Another successful docking (no drama this time!) and Maria and I take the dogs ashore.  It is a rather long walk off the dock, but we find a large grassy area and let the dogs run.  We spied large turkey vultures overhead in the trees which are interesting to watch.  It is amazing how big their wingspan is!  Later, after the dogs are fed, we take them ashore again and notice the parking lot has really filled up.  Cars are streaming into the place!  The Aqua Sol Restaurant here must be a hopping place on Friday nights!

When Fred is walking along the dock he spied this heron...

That's Jambo just to the left of the top of Maria's head...

We have a 45-minute wait for a table outside.  There is live music and a fun atmosphere.  The bartenders are working fast as lightening and never stop! We are seated in a great spot overlooking the marina and Jambo.  Nice food they call “Latin Fusion”.  We are off, again, for a good night’s sleep before Saturday’s adventure.

Saturday, June 16, we are off to Cape May.  This is our last day of being in protected waters for a while.  The herons and egrets are everywhere fishing in the morning light.  We are also seeing lots of osprey again, and spy an eagle in a tree taking flight just off to our right.  What a beautiful day!

Gus is such a sweet dog!

Weather is obviously a bit more chilly as we get further north!

Cape May is a lovely town.  Reminds me a bit of Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard.

We wait for a good weather window and on June 18 we decide it is time to make our move to Fairhaven.  This will be about a 30 hour journey, and the seas can be difficult.  We are lucky that all has calmed down so we are off for our final overnight...

Surprise!  A sunset photo!

Once again, I had the fortune to get the sunset watch as well as the sunrise.  This photos below are of the sunrise, but check out how CALM the sea is  Almost unheard of for the trek between Cape May and Fairhaven!

As you can see, Maria and Pepper took their places on the salon sofa.  (Pepper liked cuddling with us -- when we finally got to the house I had to convince her that she did not sleep on the bed with us!)

I had some other action on my watch...this US submarine passing by!

We arrived safe and sound in Fairhaven on June 19, just two days before Maria is leaving for Spain.  We manage to pull together a lobster dinner with fresh corn on the cob then off to bed on dry land.  Another adventure under our belts!

My thanks to the boat cruising books for much of the historical and detail information!!!