Hurricane Sandy and Part II of the Fall 2012 Trip

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Hurricane Sandy

I have been having trouble sitting down to write about our experience with Sandy. Finally, I realized why inspiration won’t come. We were so fortunate to have weathered the storm with no problems, only a slight blip in our schedule, and hundreds of thousands were devastated, writing about our experience seems trivial. We were shocked by what we saw on TV. New York City, Atlantic City, Cape May, Jersey Shore -- all areas we enjoyed only two or three days before -- now look like a scrambled mess. The salt water in NYC and the sand thrown inland blanketing the streets where we rode our bicycles on the Jersey Shore remind us of just how lucky we are to have found a safe place.

We arrived in Baltimore harbor on Saturday, October 27 and tied up securely, stowed everything and waited. On Sunday, after a late brunch of huevos rancheros (yum!) at a taco place, we went to the movies see Argo. Talk about stress! That movie had me on the edge of my seat! Easy to quit thinking about the coming hurricane! We came out of the theater thinking it would be pouring, but it was not yet raining.

Sunday night it started and the rain pelted the windows. Gusts of wind rocked the boat from time to time but I never felt in danger. In fact, I think I felt more secure than if we had been on land. We did not have to worry about being flooded or losing power because Jambo Is equipped with two Northern Lights generators. The docks at the marina are almost brand new. My only concern was the possibility of something from across the harbor coming lose and flying across to hit us. The boats around us were as well secured as we were, so I did not worry about them coming lose. Since we were on the south side of storm the water was pushed out of harbor so the effects from storm surge were lessened.

On Monday, Fred and I put on our waterproof pants and rain coats and headed up to a drug store about half a mile away. We are prepared for wet weather, and only missing appropriate shoes. Our feet were almost immediately soaked and it was chilly. The wind was not terrible except for the occasional gust, mostly when we were standing at an intersection waiting for a light to change so we could cross the street. Most stores we passed are closed and Walgreens (our destination) will be closing at 1:00 today. The rain was horizontal and there were tall light poles at nearby park violently rocking back and forth. We thought they surely would not be standing the next morning!

Tuesday morning it was still raining but the winds had shifted to the south and subsided. With the wind shift and the morning high tide, the water was at the very top of the fuel dock. As I looked across the way I could see that the water was lapping at the brick boardwalk but it did not seem to be overflowing onto the walkway and in to the stores and restaurants. All in all, Baltimore was spared Sandys wrath.

A small cruise ship sought safe harbor in Baltimore across from us

The tide was very high the morning after Sandy made landfall

Halloween Day 2012, we are finally underway again. There was no wind in the harbor, so leaving the dock so tightly squeezed between two other boats proved to be no problem. It is cold (42 degrees) so we are in the pilot house. Nice and warm, but the sight angle is not as good as when we are on the flybridge. Our ability to see is important today because there is going to be a lot of “flotsam” in the water because of the storms. We are hardly out of the harbor before we start seeing some short logs that could cause damage to the hull.

You don't want to bump in to these obstructions!

Pepper has no problem relaxing in the pilot house...!

Pepper also likes the pilot house because of the great view of the galley counter!!!

The day went without incident and we pulled in to the marina at Solomons. Just time to give the dogs a bit of exercise, have dinner and then to bed. Very uneventful Halloween, but that is okay! After the recent days, “uneventful” is welcome! On 11/1 we finally have sun and the harbor is like glass. Still on the lookout for floatsum, but the way is relatively clear. Once out of the harbor, it is a straight shot to Deltaville, our next stop.

"What's on tonight's menu???" Gus is always ready for a meal!

We have been seeing a lot of white-headed pelicans for the last couple of days. I wonder if they are migrating south? Will have to do a “google” when we get better internet service.

On the way to Deltaville we get a radio call from Ray Cope, the owner of "Copeing", a 65' Outer Reef. He has seen our AIS signal on the radar. It turns out that Ray and Susan are in Deltaville having work done on their boat. Alison offers to cook dinner for the four of us, so we invite them over. The marina they are in is on the other side of the area, but they have transportation.

Our spot at the marina in Deltaville

These are the workings for the marine railway in the marina

Snug at the dock!

"Woo Hoo! Another Black Dog! We feel right at home!"

When we arrive in Deltaville, I take the dogs ashore and find there is another pup in the marina area. Pepper and Gus are ecstatic to have a friend to play with, and a major romp takes place in the yard!

Rolling around in the grass feels great after being on Jambo!

Even 'ole Gus got in the act!

The sun getting low over Deltaville

Cocktail time with Ray and Susan Cope

Alison whipped up a lovely taco fiesta which we all enjoyed. Gus, as usual, tried to take his place at the table. He tried his best to convince Susan that he really was allowed to dine with us!

It was fun to catch up!

Now it is November 2 and we are headed to Norfolk, Virginia.

Once in the Norfolk area, the military boats are amazing to see. And then we had this Coast Guard Cutter taking on a pilot. A bit tricky trying to stay out of his way, since he was maneuvering right in the middle of the channel!

The restaurant/shopping mall beside Waterside Marina

Norfolk is lovely and the Waterside Marina is located in a great place. Friday night we took the crew to a nearby sushi restaurant recommended by Ray and Susan the night before. The restaurant got great reviews for food, but comments about bad service. I can see what they mean….almost before we sat down they wanted our drink order. We wanted two large hot sakes. (It was COLD in Norfolk!) The waitress came back and said they were out of large hot sake. Huh? How can you be out of large hot sake? Can we have two small hot sakes? Yes, she replied. Turns out they were out of the large sake containers….

The fish was delicious and fresh and we all enjoyed our fill. Thanks, Ray and Susan, for the great recommendation. (So great, in fact, that the crew went back the next day for more!)

The ferry picks up right behind our boat

On Saturday Fred and I took the dogs for a long walk. It is about 45 degrees and the wind is blowing about 15 mph which made it seem really cold. We put on many layers: tshirt, fleece, hoodie sweatshirts and windbreakers. With our caps on and the hoodies up, it is bearable. There is a lovely park are where we let the dogs run and then we toured the outside of the ship Wisconsin. Amazing to see this 887.3 foot long ship up close and personal.

Did I mention that it was COLD??!!!!

A lovely Japanese garden in Norfolk

Mermaids are the symbol of Norfolk -- and they are everywhere!

Bye Bye, Norfolk! See ya next year!

Sunday morning we are off the dock at 8 a.m. headed in the Intercoastal Waterway to Coinjock, NC.

Navy ship in dry dock...

The waterway is absolutely calm and like a mirror. Unfortuantely, the sky is clouded over and it is still cold. A lot more fun to do this trip stearing from the pilot house and basking in 70-degree weather, but here we are. We see a lone eagle flying by. They are so beautiful – I never tire to observing this magnificent bird.

What I miss seeing are the osprey and babies in all the channel markers. The nests are completely gone (I suppose the Coast Guard cleans them off in the summer?) and no ospreys to be found. Only sea gulls and cormorants, and certainly no young at this time of year.

Coinjock to Belhaven November 5

Small cruise ship also stops in Coinjock. Go figure!!!

This black dog just LOVES the sun!

The day dawned cold, but clear. We welcome the sunshine after the cloudy, dreary day yesterday. Today we transited more of the Intercoastal Waterway on our way to Belhaven, NC. Off the dock at 7:40 a.m. because we have a long way to go. The boats going south for the winter are starting to stack up, so there is a lot of traffic. Many of the areas today only have about 6-8’ of water, so the going is slow and nerve racking at times (if you are the one on watch!) I was “on duty” when we were about to enter the Alligator River-Pungo River canal and there were seven boats in front of me. I really wanted to be able to pass them all before we got to the canal, because it seemed there was more room outside even though the water was shallow – 6’ for most of the way. I manage to get past three of them, but the other four are still ahead as we enter the narrow canal. I am finally getting close and have to call them to pass. One by one, we pass the four sailboats, calling each time to let them know which side we will be passing, and slowing as we pass so as not to give them a big wake. A bit unnerving, since the canal is not terribly wide, but thankfully there is 13-14’ of water most of the way across.

It is, indeed, a "dogs life" for these guys on board!

Traveling down the Alligator River-Pungo River Canal About 2:45 in the afternoon we get a radio call from Galathea, a motor vessel about a mile ahead of us. He advised that about ½ a mile ahead of our position we needed to be careful because there was someone doing target practice…in to the canal! Fred and the dogs were lounging on the bow in the warm sun so I went out and told them to get inside. Sure enough, soon we see splashes in the middle of the canal. As we passed, we see a black truck with the tailgate down and a guy there reloading his rifle. Fred started snapping photos and called the Coast Guard to report the incident, as well as alerting the line of sailboats behind us of the possible danger. I downloaded the photos, so Fred was able to give a description to the Coast Guard, who called the local North Carolina police. The NC police asked us to send the photos, which we did once we had internet service. The sail boats behind us reported seeing the truck and the guy, but he was not firing. He was still standing at the back of his truck. Nothing like a little excitement to liven up a monotonous day on the Intercoastal Waterway! (PS - we never got a report on what happened with the police, if anything.)