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Onward’s Cruise Journal 2015
Chesapeake to Florida

Updated: 1 A[ril 2019

November 2015

1 Nov 15; Sunday; Baltimore

• We had a delightful dinner last nights with good friends and former colleagues from ARL as our last "northern social activity".

• The rental car was turned in by 0900 and Marvin, who built the new enclosure, came aboard to tweak a couple of things. We were underway by 1030 on a very calm but overcast day. The Bay was a mirror for our entire trip S.
• The schooner Lady Maryland passed by as a farewell:Fog
• Fuel

• Talked by VHF to Bob Osborn
• We awoke to dense fog. The USCG actually "shut down" the upper Bay because of it. By 0745 we could see enough to creep up to the fuel pier to top off the tanks.
• We were underway by 0820 and decided to take advantage of a beautiful clear and sunny day with light NE winds to complete our transit of the Chesapeake before SW winds and rain moved in. It was a beautiful easy motor trip in the light winds.
• I worked today to install an email comment section for this blog but I've not gotten it wired right yet. And then there is RSS…
• The new update of the website software I use has changed the way photos can be edited — so I'm trying figure that out.
• I banged the top of my head on the partially opened companionway slide and provided nurse Peggy with a nice bloody scalp and forehead — too bad Halloween has past.

• Again it was difficult to deal with the reversion to EST and watch the sun set at 1715 - but it did set beautifully.

• We anchored just outside of the channel going into Hampton and were all nicely settled by 2050.
• Peggy warmed up the seafood medley with fettuccini she made while we were at Nantucket — just as delicious as then.

• After our fast 2-day transit down the Chesapeake, we took the day off to visit with Peggy's son Gene and family in Hampton. So we moved into the Hampton City Pier marina.

• We decided to have lunch at one of our favorite places; The Tap House. I was first introduced to it by Ron Draper on my first trip S. It is known for almost 100 beers on tap and great food. Of course, we had to send Ron a photo of the event. Peggy and I keep trying to get him to join us for a sojourn.

• We took a cab over to Gene's home — a lovely roomy home on a canal connected to Salt Ponds and its marina. I have to say I was a bit jealous to see his sailboat berthed at the pier in front of his home. Peggy was in ecstasy as she got to play with Easton, 2, and Lewis, 31/2. After dinner she and Gene did bath time and bed time. It was wonderful to see how happy this made her.

5 Nov 15; Thursday; Hampton to North River

• Peggy and I were up at 0500 and departed the marina at 0645. The overcast was still with us but the sunrise promised sun later in the day. We wanted to get past RR bridge 7 next to the Gilmerton Bridge before it shut down for 8 hours for repair work at 1100. We arrived by 1000 only to find it down for a train. So we waited and were able to make the 1100 locking at Great Bridge. It was quite obvious that the largest gaggle of southbounders had already passed because the locking was uncrowded and leisurely.
• The sun peeked out along the way and we had a peaceful passage through Coinjock just before sunset. We anchored for the night in the North River..

• I was up at 0500 this morning and we were underway by 0600. The initial section of the ICW is always a challenge with all the commercial traffic, bridges, and boats starting the journey S. We planned to get to railroad bridge 7 before they closed it for the day to do repairs. Then we found it closing for a train! So that delay put us behind an hour.
• Once through the bridges it was an easy trip as the glut of early south-bounders seems to have passed by this time. We passed through Coinjock and on to anchor for the night in the North River, just short of Albemarle sound. For the last hour or more Peggy cooked her chicken marsala and the smell was enticing.

• Jack's

• Onward was underway at 063
• We were underway by 0630 under overcast skies. Albemarle Sound was reasonably well behaved. The sun came out as we transited the Alligator River - Pungo River canal.
• We put into Belhaven for the night and were anchored before sunset. We decided to go ashore to have dinner at a new restaurant we saw there last year. When I launched Venture and started the outboard, I discovered there was a good deal of water in the fuel. The good news was I discovered it before it got pumped into the carburetor. It took 45 min of very frustrating effort to pump the water out of the tank into the fuel separator bowl of the filter then drain the bowl and repeat - about 10 times. I am mystified about how so much water got into the fuel tank.
• A shower put me in a better mood and the outboard behaved well on the way in. Peggy and i enjoyed a pleasant dinner in the very nicely decorated restaurant - bar. It was full of people and we wondered where they all came from.
• After a quiet night we were underway by 0620 and headed for Beaufort. We are watching weather forecasts for a good window to go offshore from Beaufort to Charleston.

• Bob Osborn
• Wiring

• TS offshore; depart Beaufort

• •