Chesapeake Bay
ICW
Southbound Exodus
October 26
After a full week sitting at anchor in Fishing Bay, we finally pulled the anchor, washed off tons of Chesapeake Mud (with our new wash down pump!) and left Deltaville. We made it a whole 30 miles and enjoyed an anchorage to ourselves in the Poqouson River.
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| The off-watch crew. |
October 27
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| Sunrise over our Poqouson River anchorage |
The forecast called for 10-15 winds, but upon entering the bay we encountered 25 knots, on the nose. I was very grateful for our dodger; every time I stuck my head beyond the windshield I was hit with a face full of wind and seawater; rather unpleasant.
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| Wet ride for our final sail in Chesapeake Bay |
Hastings despises beating into the wind and was sick. Matt has bronchitis and was laying down somewhere. The port side toilet gets pissy sometimes and doesn’t want to flush. All you have to do is wiggle a hose to let air in (or is it out?), and then try again. The light wiggling didn’t do the trick, so I angrily wrenched at it, pulling the hose of and getting my second face full of seawater that day. I told this tale of woe to Matt who calmly informed me, “that wasn’t seawater”. Good times. Thanks for the send off, Chesapeake Bay!
MM0 Anchorage, Again.
For some inexplicable reason, we had a 3 knot current against us while motoring through Hampton Roads. slowing our speed from “tortoise” to “Hastings walking towards a bath” speed. I sure do hate having a disgruntled current. We stopped at the MM0 anchorage next to Portsmouth and Norfolk. (MM0 marks the northern point of the Intra Coastal Waterway (ICW) that transits inland waterways all the way to Miami)
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| Checking for boat traffic in Hampton Roads |
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| Fake candles at dusk |
October 28th
Neither of us has been sleeping due to Matt's coughing curse, so Matt called in sick and I called in my birthday day, happily abandoning ship and family to go shopping! Yay! I even picked up take-out from the pub on my way home. Someone else cooking and no dishes = recipe for happiness.
Meanwhile, Matt had discovered that our starboard engine has a coolant leak. We ordered a new coolant pipe; it won’t be here until Tuesday, giving Matt a few extra days to recover from the plague. We’ve been enjoying watching Carnival Cruise line load up passengers, and our southbound cohorts anchor at 5PM and leave at 7AM. What larks!
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| Carnival Sunshine - endless amounts of free entertainment for me! |
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| Neat houses in Old Towne, Portsmouth, VA |
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| Fall Colors! |
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| Sunset over the MM0 Anchorage |
Are the trees changing colors where you live? And isn't autumn the best with it's crisp air and pretty red leaves?
6 comments
I enjoy watching the seasons change and love the smell of fall (what is it about dead leaves?), but this year has been pretty cold, wet and miserable in the PNW. We'd hoped to get a few days at anchor to relax after being on the hard for so long, but there was no point with the forecast so we tied up in our winter port yesterday and our season is officially over. :-(
ReplyDeleteStephanie @ SV CAMBRIA
That's depressing! It's amazing how quick time flies. One has to enjoy winter sports to get through an actual winter- but I have never gotten into winter sports. I think it's actually the short dark days that I like the least.
DeleteI'm glad you have a dodger as well! I cannot count the times we got soaked with fresh and salt water all those years. On a future boat, we vow to get a dodger (and a hard top above the cockpit). Not sure about two heads, though... two toilets to maintain and more stubborn plumbing! :-) The leaves are changing colors in Northern California, but I am not a fan of the colder temperatures...
ReplyDeleteHeads are very frustrating! Maybe these composting toilets people love are the answer. And the dodger is wonderful- definitely a must.
Delete"That wasn't seawater" - yuck :-( I love your fake candles. I just ordered some. While I prefer real ones, I also prefer not panicking of the thought of burning the boat down.
ReplyDeleteYes, I don't think I could enjoy real candles... every wake and breath of wind would send me into a panic!
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