Virginia July 12 - July 17

Still limping our way north in search of both cooler weather and a cure (or at least a correct diagnosis) of our mystery engine problem. Our Virginia route will take us through the very busy port of Norfolk and then up the western shore of Chesapeake Bay towards our eventual destination of Deale, Maryland.

Our stops in VA (Red = marina; Blue = anchorage or free dock; Star = high rating) Click for Interactive Map  

We entered Virginia somewhere a bit north of Coinjock, our last stop in North Carolina. The scenery gradually went from near wilderness to more and more civilized as we approached Norfolk. We came upon a couple of bridges so low that even our 12 foot vertical clearance was too high, but they opened for us with just a slight delay. The only real slow-up was at the Great Bridge and Lock in Chesapeake City, Virginia. This US Army Corps of Engineers lock lifts and drops only a couple of feet, but it and its associated bridge open only on the hour. We tied up at a nice little courtesy dock to wait, and watched a 90+ foot sportfish and his 30 foot triple engine “dinghy” impatiently back and fill and circle right in front of the bridge, as if that would make them open up quicker. We got through the lock without incident (heck, we did something like 156 locks last year on our great loop, I should hope we would know how to do locks by now) and our destination for the night was just a couple of miles ahead, the Top Rack Marina. This place is a huge “rack and stack” operation catering to smaller boats, and it was busy on this Sunday afternoon. The two attractions of the Top Rack are: 1) cheap fuel, and 2) cheap dockage. We topped up the fuel tank for $1.71 a gallon, and for an extra $40 got a slip with electric for the night. It was busy and noisy with forklifts running left and right launching and retrieving boats, but after the place closed down for the night we had it all to ourselves.

Cypress trees in the Virginia Cut

Waiting for the swing bridge to open

We waited tied up to a public dock rather than station keeping and jockeying around like these guys

In we go! Plenty of room for BellaGatto

A perfectly still afternoon once all the Sunday boaters got off the water

Um. Uh oh. This is not good. Anchoring out tonight so we're OK for now

In the morning, it was time to brave the busy and intimidating waters of the ports of Norfolk and Hampton Roads to get to the Chesapeake. We got through the tangle of railroad and highway bridges and were picking our way through the cross traffic of a couple of oceangoing freighters, a guided missile frigate, and a helicopter assault carrier when we noticed the squall line coming in from the west. Not any real rain, but a north wind suddenly popped up to 30 knots and a special marine warning came up on the VHF warning of hazardous conditions on the bay and advising mariners to seek shelter until the squall passes. We did just that, pulling into the town of Hampton and poking around the harbor there for an hour or so until the wind went down. Then we poked our nose out into the bay and it wasn’t too bad, just a leftover sloppy-choppy sea on our beam as we headed north about 20 miles to Back Creek. We had anchored here last year, it is a small but reasonably deep little creek that is home to a fleet of scallop boats and one little marina. We decided to anchor out tonight….we have been staying at marinas way too much on this trip (mostly to have air conditioning) and even inexpensive marinas put a hole in the budget eventually. We dropped the hook right where we did last year. It was still just late afternoon, so we took Bella for a dinghy ride out to a beach that we had spotted on the way in. She had a fabulous time splashing and swimming and rolling in the sand, and we went for a swim also in the bathtub temperature water. We somehow luckily avoided getting stung by the abundant and pestiferous sea nettle jellyfish. Being the rookies we are, we didn’t know that virtually no one swims in the lower Chesapeake in the summer months because of these nasty little devils. With all the windows and ports open to catch the slight breeze and a nice cold shower right before bedtime, it was actually a quite comfortable night, and we felt more like real cruisers again.

Getting close to the belly of the beast

Norfolk is home to the largest naval base

Such a different scene from the May AGLCA Rendevous last year when this place was teaming with loopers

Cruise ships waiting out COVID

The might of our Navy

Surprised to see these guys again up in Hampton but happy to get the photo because it really shows off the yacht/dinghy package

Running close to shore to take in the sights of this beach front community

Bella is super happy when swimming is on the agenda

My heart 💙

Time to head back to BellaGatto

A waterman (love this term) collecting crabs in the morning

Our next stop was Deltaville, where we had spent a couple of weeks last year at the boatyard getting some shaft seal work done. We liked the ambiance there on our last stop, so decided to return to the same place. We were also looking forward to seeing a couple we had met online who were interested in an Endeavour 36 but had never been aboard one. They live nearby, and we made a date for cocktail hour and a boat tour. Before the visit, we needed to do some chores. Besides cleaning up the boat, we borrowed the marina’s courtesy car for a trip to the grocery store and the West Marine and did a load of laundry. I also did a jury-rig fix of our shore power system. We had burned up both the shore power inlet fixture on the boat and the end of the power cord somehow at Top Rack. West Marine did not have the parts we needed to do a proper fix so I just cut the end off our shore power cable, stripped the wire ends, and connected them directly to the wiring for the shore power receptacle. Crude, but effective.

Showing of BellaGatto to Carl & Joan

Sunset at Jackson Creek/Deltaville Marina

New saltwater swimming pool at Deltaville Marina

Deltaville marina expanded the vegetable garden considerably this year. Produce is free for the picking!

Temporary fix for our electirical cable

Our last stop in Virginia was right on the Virginia/Maryland border and just south of where the Potomac River meets the bay at Smith Point. This was a tricky little place to get into – the sailboat ahead of us ran aground at the channel entrance, helpfully showing us where the deeper water wasn’t. Once we got in, we found a little clear spot in the dense minefield of crab traps and anchored up in about 8 feet of water. Not too far behind us was a looper boat we hadn’t seen since way back on the Tennessee River, the Sea n Stars. When we last met them, they were just three days into their great loop and very intimidated by the prospect of handling their big heavy 49 foot trawler. Now they were running that boat like a couple of confident old salts! We went over for cocktail hour after taking Bella for a nice long shore excursion to the nearby beach and got caught up with each other’s adventures. Even though we have finished the loop, we are still part of the looper community. It’s nice.

Sunset at Ellyson Creek anchorage, Smith Point

We had a beautiful but difficult beach walk on this beach at Smith Point. Sand was not hard packed

Heading out Smith Point cut in the morning

Beautiful conditions on the Chesapeake

Now we are just two days away from our boatyard appointment in Deale, Maryland. We had allowed ourselves two weeks to get there from way down in Southport, and it looks like we make it with a couple of days to spare….stay tuned!

North Carolina: June 5 - July 12

North Carolina provides the opportunity to get out of the “ditch” as the Intracoastal Waterway is called, and explore destinations on the rivers, sounds, and particularly the Outer Banks. We were looking forward to this adventure, but first we needed to get our nagging engine problem fixed, so our first stop in North Carolina was Zimmerman’s boat yard in Southport. The yard guys there were sure the problem was rooted in a severe shaft misalignment, which didn’t really make sense to me, but we gave them the go ahead to fix that, which eventually resulted in a new shaft, moving the engine mounts, shaving down the stringers, new cutless bearing etc., etc., etc. This was going to take a while and the boat was going to be up “on the hard” out of the water, so we took almost 2 weeks off and rented a car and took a vacation from our vacation to go to Jayne’s brother’s mountain cabin in Blairsville, Georgia. We had a great time there in the cool mountain air and did a bunch of beautiful hikes. Bella was in dog heaven! 

Our stops in NC (Red = marina; Blue = anchorage or free dock; Star = high rating) Click for Interactive Map  

It's always a little nerve-wracking when the boat is lifted out of the water

Careful inspection of the running gear

Boat mechanics always amaze me with how they can work in such tight spaces

We took the opportunity to wash and wax BellaGatto

Look at that shine!

The ever changing view from the living room of the Blue Roof House

Scenes from our many hikes in North Georgia

When the boat was ready to splash again, we returned to Southport, full of enthusiasm that we would soon be back on the water and fully cured. Our hopes were soon dashed by the water test – all that work made absolutely no difference and our problem was unchanged. Now, the boat certainly had a bad alignment problem, and that was definitely fixed, but as far as solving our problem it was a waste of time and money. The yard guys now wanted to run some engine tests they probably should have done in the first place before hauling the boat. Those tests didn’t result in a real diagnosis, but did narrow the issue down to a fuel delivery problem. While they were busy scratching their heads at the yard, we had a nice visit from our friends Dave and Patty from Florida, who kept our spirits up and joined us on land-based adventures around the Cape Fear area.  Zimmerman's yard in Southport did not have the expertise in-house to go any farther for us, and the local Yanmar tech experts were booked out at least two weeks, so we decided to push on through to the sister Zimmerman's yard in Deale, Maryland where they supposedly have certified Yanmar techs in-house. This is nearly 500 miles north, but at least we will feel like we're making some forward progress. So, back on the move! 

 

We enjoyed some excellent fresh shrimp and crab cakes in a socially distant outdoor setting at the Provision Company

Patty made her world famous Jägerschnitzel and from scratch spaetzle after a beautiful afternoon cruise out the inlet and around Bald Head Island

Enjoying porch-tails with our lovely harbor hosts Robert and Kay

A beautiful setting sun and rising moon from our slip at Southport Marina

Scenes from Carolina Beach State Park with our visiting crew

On the morning of July 5, after 3 weeks, we tossed off our lines from Southport and headed up the Cape Fear River with a nice boost from the flood tide, transited Snows Cut, and passed Carolina Beach. As we neared Wrightsville Beach, we started to see lots and lots of boats sporting Trump flags…it turns out a “Trump Train” boat rally was getting ready to start and a giant flotilla was clogging the waterway right at the most congested part. We managed to pick our way through without running anyone down and proceeded to our stop for the night, Harbour Village Marina, just south of Surf City. It was not much of a stop, just a small marina that mostly exists to serve the condo complex where it was located, but it was quiet stop away from the hubbub. 

Passing by the Trump boat parade

Only transients here at Harbour Village Marina

The next day we were bound for Beaufort (BOW-fort), a major stopover for cruisers on the ICW. We stayed in Beaufort proper on our loop trip last year and enjoyed the museums, nightlife and shopping, but this year with Coronavirus still raging, we wanted to try someplace quieter and less crowded. We stopped just short of Beaufort at Morehead City and stayed at the town docks. Getting in the slip with one functioning engine in a stiff cross current was no fun at all, but the price was right and it was a good location, walking distance to a lot of places. We got a take-out dinner that night and had a really good breakfast the next morning (outside seating) before pushing on. 

When we hit the ICW is was just like a sheet of glass

I love the nesting Ospreys

Favor the Red side for sure!

How about that million dollar view 😬 derelict boats are a problem in every state. 

Scenes from Morehead City. Grumpy's for breakfast is a must!

Our slip at Morehead City Docks

We really wanted our next stop from here to be Ocracoke, on the Outer Banks, but the weather was not going to cooperate. The wide-open and shallow sounds we would have to traverse get quite nasty when the wind is up, and a low pressure system that would later become Tropical Storm Fay was settling in just offshore of Cape Hatteras. Plan B was to stay in the good old ICW and make for either Oriental or Bellhaven, NC. Oriental was close, really too short of a day, and Bellhaven was a really long day, and there was not much in between. That was when the great loop cruisers group on Facebook came to the rescue. Gypsy's Palace read our FB post from Morehead City and said “you have to get in touch with the crew from Lab Partners – they are the harbor hosts (former or wannabe loopers who serve as goodwill ambassadors for cruisers along the loop) for the area and they have a dock behind their house halfway between Oriental and Bellhaven.” So we got to meet Beth and Rip Tyler, and spent a beautiful quiet night on their isolated little creek…with electric even!

Luckily we dodged most of this

Quick stop at R E Mayo Seafood to pick up some fresh off the boat shrimp and flounder

Pulling into the Tyler's dock on Campbell Creel

Absolutely deluxe accomodations

The nicest folks ever 💙

We ended the day with a nice quiet dinner of flounder picatta

The next morning was another route decision point – we could still head to Ocracoke and the outer banks to get to Virginia or stick with the tried and true and much more protected ICW and head to Belhaven. As so often happens, the weather made the call. TS Fay was still blooming off of Cape Hatteras, and current wind speed there was almost 40 knots. Current wind speed at Belhaven was 12 knots. So Belhaven it is! It was a cloudy and rainy day, but a short 25 miles to the Belhaven city docks, a minimalist marina right in the downtown that is only $1 per foot per night. Kind of a tight spot to get into on one engine, but we made it. There are two real attractions in this small town (not counting the very nice lady from the chamber of commerce, Diana, who came down to welcome us). The first is the Ace hardware store. It’s not just any Ace hardware – it is HUGE and they have everything from clothes to marine supplies to seafood on sale there. The other is called Spoon River – a gourmet farm to table restaurant that would be right at home in the white tablecloth district of any big city. We made a reservation for that evening and Jayne (of course) had crabcakes and I had chicken and dumplings. I know chicken and dumplings doesn’t sound too gourmet, but this was perfectly seared chicken breast in a light creamy sherry sauce with perfectly done gnocchi standing in for the dumplings. Outstanding. It was the first time in seemingly forever that we dined out with inside seating like real non-pandemic grown ups.

We were the only boat for our two night stay.

Happy camper with the best Chicken and 'Dumplings' (gnocchi) ever!

This crab cake appetizer from Spoon River was sublime. The remoulade sauce was off the hook!

The next day TS Fay had finally fully formed and was on its northerly path. We decided to stay over a second day to let it get up ahead of us, and it was a gusty rainy gloomy day anyway, perfect for vegging out on board watching TV and reading books.

Weather the next morning was much improved and we headed out early to our next to the last North Carolina destination, 55 miles to Alligator River Marina. Our route took us up the Pungo River, then 22 miles through the Alligator-Pungo canal (a man-made land cut that was the very last segment of the Intracoastal Waterway to be completed) then almost due north up the Alligator River. All that way, we saw neither alligators nor pungos, but we did see the first bald eagles we had spotted since Georgia. We had the wind behind us on the Alligator River segment, a nice change from last year on the loop when we got our butts kicked here by a strong north wind and steep, choppy seas. Alligator River Marina is nothing to write home about, but it is in a very strategic location for both northbound and southbound travelers, being the only anything for quite a way in either direction. The only civilization is a gas station and convenience store that runs the marina. They have decent fried chicken though, and we got a bucket so as to not have to cook after our long day. When we stopped here before last year at the height of the looper migration, the place was packed. This time we were the only cruising boat here, and had the place to ourselves, which we celebrated by doing some laundry. Well after dark, we did get a boat neighbor. A seedy looking and filthy old sportfish came in and tied up behind us and plugged in the electric. This was an example of the “dock and dash” low-budget cruising technique – you come in well after the place is closed and the staff have gone home, pick a empty slip and make yourself at home, and then take off at first light before the staff gets in. And sure enough, they were gone when we got up in the morning.

Leaving Belhaven

The gloomy skies gave way to a beautiful day

The scenery on this stretch varies

Alligator River Marina

Watermen going out at first light

Today is another decision point day – we have to cross Ablemarle Sound , a sometimes quite nasty stretch of water, and then we have two routes to choose from. One route is to go to Elizabeth City and there enter the Dismal Swamp Canal which will eventually take you to the end of the ICW in Norfolk, Virginia, which would take two days. The other is to take the deeper and faster Virginia Cut route with a stop in Coinjock, NC and thence to Norfolk, a day shorter trip. We had “done the Dismal” last year and it was a highlight of our loop, but this time we decided to go to Coinjock Marina for our last stop in North Carolina. The main and seemingly only attraction in Coinjock is the marina restaurant, famous for their monster portions of prime rib. We had planned to get takeout from there, but there wasn’t much of a crowd, and we got a properly socially distant table indoors. We passed on the prime rib, but I had an excellent New York Strip and Jayne stuck with her regional favorite, crabcakes.

Coinjock Marina is a convenient stop right on the ICW

Tomorrow, we will hit mile zero on the Intracoastal Waterway, over 900 miles from where we started in Florida, and fuel up for the mighty Chesapeake!