Norfolk, VA to Crisfield, MD, May 9 - 15, 2015

May 9 - 15, 2015

10 minutes before the fog

We awakened to a dense layer of fog this Saturday morning in Norfolk, one of only a few Looper boats yet to depart Waterside Marina northbound. Bright sunshine quickly burned off the fog layer and allowed us to mosey toward the pumpout station to empty our bowels prior to departure. Captain Clay had chosen a sixteen-mile route to Hampton, VA, which would take us from this location on the Elizabeth River, past Willoughby Bay, across Hampton Roads, and up the Hampton River. 

CVN 77 George H W Bush Aircraft Carrier

They are coming to get us!

They got us!

Soon after breaking free of Norfolk, we were slowed by the thick blanket of fog which once again plagued the area. Not good travel conditions! We poked along as best we could, finding a distant white boat to direct our path. Radio communication became quite entertaining when a Navy patrol boat intercepted our guide boat to escort her around aircraft carrier CVN 77 - USS George H. W. Bush, a slightly darker, large gray mass in the distance, but with a commanding presence around which had to be maintained a 500(?) yard perimeter. Clay and I got a good chuckle then realized our turn was next. Clay hollered orders to me to 'get a good picture' which was equally humorous when it was exceedingly hard to discern one gray mass from another, especially through a camera lens.

Passing the area without incident, we found ourselves in and out of fog until the sun established a permanence and dispelled any chance of recurrence. Two hours post departure we docked at the Hampton Public Piers in a location which allowed full view of Hampton University's graduation celebration on the opposite shoreline. What fun to see the big white tent, listen to live music, and witness this memorable occasion.

Hampton Univ. at Hampton VA

Hampton VA Lighthouse

Old hotel at Hampton VA

Our Sunday morning walk took us across the bridge to the university side of the Hampton River. Crawling with black-robed, mortar-boarded individuals, the campus was hopping. As Clay and I dodged traffic, we realized the revelry of yesterday was the party before the Sunday commencement. There's just something energizing about a college campus! So happy to be among the graduates.

Onancock Warf office

Ft Monroe in Hampton VA

As we arrived back at the boat, Clay initiated an abrupt departure leaving this first mate none-too-happy! I'd like a LITTLE advance warning, Captain! We soon found ourselves cruising the Chesapeake Bay with SaSea's ride rough interspersed with tolerable. Seven hours later we arrived at Anancock, VA and were greeted by dockmaster Charles who could use a lesson or two in line-handling. A boat wash, two laundry load cycles, and grilled burgers completed our day.

Kayak class at Onancock

We had no rain overnight, but the weather front moved in quickly on Monday, soaking both Clay and me on our morning walk. But he returned to the boat a happy camper with sticky buns from the local bakery in hand; the bakery bag served as minimal protection from the rain, but the buns weren't too soggy. And, the price was right at eighty cents per treat. We'd remembered the bakery from our previous visit, so the memory propelled Clay to imbibe again. 

Our departure from Anancock was put on hold as we waited for the rain and wind to pass. All in all, it was a ho-hum day in close quarters where I took every available break in the weather to wander the town, poking my head in the few businesses open on Mondays. Nighttime descended with SaSea Sally still docked in the harbor, so another night in port unexpectedly occupied our agenda.

Tangier Ferry at Onancock

Tuesday dawned with clearing skies but a stiff breeze which guaranteed a challenging departure. Clay clued his technique off the Tangier Island ferry which had arrived then departed mid-morning after delivering a corpse from the unique Tangier Island. The island's watermen and their families live a far different lifestyle from that to which we are accustomed!

Highrise on the Chrisfield Waterfront

Ruin near Chisfield

Continuing stiff winds accompanied us on a wild ride on the Bay with beam waves rocking and rolling our trawler. Not fun by any definition of the word 'fun.' Thankful for the mere three-hour cruising duration, I welcomed the sight of our next port of call, Crisfield, MD. Once docked, Clay perched atop the fly bridge for a lengthy conference call giving me opportunity to explore the area around Somers Cove Marina. Not much here, my prevailing thought was, "The Marina can well afford to be generous and hospitable in offering one-night-free-with-two-nights'-stay...who would stay three nights at this location by choice?" Clay treated me to dinner out at a mom-and-pop cafe called the Water's Edge which disappointed Clay in having no liquor license. No beer for him this night.

Narrow entrance to the Chrisfield Harbor

We awakened Wednesday morning to WIND and 69 degrees (vs yesterday's 85 and sunny). We took a long morning walk, traversing the three legs of a right triangle past the Crisfield High School, a Food Lion (grocery), a Dollar General, and a Family Dollar. Returning to our dock slip, we helped two daring sailboat crews depart the dock, then simply hung out at the boat most of the day, doing what you do on a day where you hang out. Brightening an otherwise boring existence this day was the arrival of nursery friends George and Lou Kemp for a visit aboard. Nice to see our nursery friends and share updates on mutual acquaintances!

Clay, Lou and George Kemp of Bountiful Ridge Nursery

Thursday was a productive day during which time I paid bills, downloaded credit card statements and cross-checked monthly charges, cleaned the coffee pot, and defrosted the freezer. 

Late morning, we off-loaded the bikes for a conditioning ride after which I donned a back pack for a grocery bike hike to Food Lion while Clay inflated the dinghy which was in a deplorable state of collapse. I do believe Clay's prompt to inflate the dinghy was two-fold: a) we had plans for frequent use of the dinghy in the near future; and b) the deflated boat and securing straps had flapped unmercifully the previous windy night, creating monstrous unsettling noises.

Sunset at Chrisfield MD

We took the harbor master's suggestion for fine dining this night at Watermen's Inn. A bright spot on the radar screen for any of you friends who venture this way, I highly recommend the shrimp scampi which was a dish of delightfully seasoned shrimp and veggies over linguini. Clay commented the dipping sauce simply 'made' his choice of crab cakes.

Friday morning we struck out on our now firmly established walking route (I like routine whereas Clay's much more eager to explore the unknown route), returning for a mid-morning departure after pumping out and taking on gas for the dinghy. Our destination was the river home of college Theta friend Judy Folks Holmes and her hubby Gregg.

The Glebe River off the Potomac River

As we cross the Bay yet again with our sights set on the Glebe River near the mouth of the Potomac, I bid you a fond farewell until we 'meet' again.

They do have a few "pushers" in the Chesapeake

Chesapeake to Norfolk, VA, May 2 - 8, 2015

May 2 - 8, 2015

As we departed Atlantic Yacht Basin this Saturday morning, we found the SaSea Sally among a bevy of boats bound for the 11 a.m. bridge opening and the lock beyond. Woohoo, we're in good company, but it might be a tight fit! I prefer a lot of space in the lock for any eventuality that might occur. Successful lock-through, we set our sights on Top Rack Marina to stock up for a week in port at Norfolk. Stock-up included refueling, taking on water, and emptying our holding tanks.

Our next port of call was Waterside Marina in downtown Norfolk, a place to call home for the next week while we attended the America Great Loop Cruisers Association (AGLCA) Rendezvous. We found ourselves in pleasant company following our arrival when we were greeted by soon-to-become friends also partaking of this great adventure called the Great Loop. The Sheraton Norfolk was host to the convention, and over the next days we would find ourselves traversing the 11.5-minute roundtrip route between our boat and the Sheraton entrance numerous times. We were to be blessed with good weather and warming temperatures for the week. Hooray!

Having visited Norfolk the previous September, Clay and I were familiar with the layout of the downtown and the available amenities. Once tied to dock cleats with fenders appropriately placed, I set out for the MacArthur Center (mall) to get a replacement wallflower nightlight from Bath and Body Works. I was pleased to have a destination and a purpose to my stride.

Clay and I chose to dine out following my return because we had so enjoyed the Big Easy at the Norfolk Seafood Company. With a speakeasy atmosphere complete with a solo saxophonist, the Big Easy was nested in the downstairs of the restaurant. What fun we had dining in this unique environment this Saturday night.

Sunday was a day designed to meet and greet boaters as they arrived for the Rendezvous. Busy place! Dockmaster John and his sidekick Chad had not a moment's rest with twenty-one boats due in. Clay and I accomplished a morning grocery 'run' to Harris Teeter which was quite a lengthy process in itself! The taxi cab wait and ride, the shopping with fellow boaters and dockmates Bill and Donna, another cab wait and ride, loading and unloading the dock carts, and finally stowing our goods amounted to some three hours of our day. Wow! But so happy to have had the opportunity because the grocery store notated on my downtown Norfolk map was no longer operational...and we'd saved our shopping just for it. Kudos to Waterside Marina for providing this courtesy!

Monday through Thursday earmarked the Rendezvous conference days with informational sessions; lunch and dinner buffet events; a mini trade show with resource reps from various boating organizations and services; and plenty of time for boaters to share tips, techniques, and ideas. Clay took these opportunities quite seriously and maximized the time he spent with fellow Loopers. I, conversely, picked and chose among the various events and maximized my 'me' time. I found myself in good company with other first mates! We women are opportunists! Why waste perfectly good weather, casual companionship with other females, and freedom?

The Monday registration hours featured a BINGO game where boaters filled the BINGO card with signatures of fellow boaters who met the criteria such as non-swimmer, gets seasick, military man/woman, has run aground, has seen dolphins, etc. I happily signed card after card in the space designated "Reluctant Spouse." Following registration we attended the opening session where current Loopers were introduced to say a few words. Clay gave me the speaking responsibility for which I wanted to choose words which were few and relevant. I guess my mini speech must have been appropriate because, not only did I garner laugher repeatedly, but I was asked frequently over the next days one-on-one to expound on some of what I said (especially about the reluctancy).

We opted to off-load our bicycles early in the week so as to have access to them. Unfortunately, having sat unused for numerous months, the bike chains were paralyzed with rust and required major attention. While testing my bicycle on Tuesday afternoon at Clay's insistence, I merrily rode along explaining the intermittent clunking noise to inquisitive onlookers as my version of rap music. Atrocious sound!

The Looper Rendezvous' traditionally host "Looper Crawls" which are open houses at those boats choosing to participate. This gives especially the Looper Wannabees a chance to explore boat attributes before purchasing a boat of their own. We opened SaSea Sally to curious eyes and ears on Tuesday, and I gave explanation of the interior while Clay hosted on the fly bridge. We had a constant stream of folks who gained a wealth of info about our Mainship 430, about our preparation for the trip, and about our experiences aboard since departure in August of 2013.

Wednesday's schedule itemized dinner on your own which gave us opportunity to buddy up with our friends Floyd and Linda (Tumbleweed) for docktails followed by dinner at Vineyard Trattoria, a short walk from the harbor. Popular spot we found it to be where we encountered several other Loopers having chosen the same Italian restaurant. Clay selected his favorite veal preparation from the menu; I opted for my usual pasta primavera. Yum!

Having always wondered how boaters live comfortably on the configuration of a catamaran, I visited and toured a boat-for-sale cat during Thursday's Looper Crawl. Fascinating use of space! Earlier in the afternoon, I had attended the women's session while Clay attended the men's. Not sure how the men's proceeded, but we women made the most of our time together. Ideas were shared; jokes were told; tips of the trade, phrases, jokes and buzz words were passed along. The Looping experience was described by friend Linda as "Long hours of pleasant boredom followed by brief moments of sheer panic!" One particular tip elicited hearty agreement, "Panic slowly!" 

Thursday's dinner and closing program ended a successful Norfolk Spring 2015 Rendezvous. We will encounter many of these new friends as we journey north from Norfolk, MM 0, across the Chesapeake Bay toward Annapolis, Baltimore and Philadelphia in the near future. All in all, time spent was invaluable. We met some wonderful folks, learned much, laughed a lot, and didn't have to cook or clean up lunch and dinner meals for three full days! 

Friday is a day of preparation for our Saturday departure. As such, I bid you farewell as I compile a grocery list, start a load of laundry, and go about various housekeeping chores which will fill this day.