Deltaville, VA to Norfolk, VA

Friday, October 21, 2011   Day 40
Departed Deltaville 8:00AM and arrived in Norfolk, VA at 4:00PM
Today's miles- 68   Total miles- 567.5

While it was a long day, when we travel like this, we make our coffee and start up on the fly bridge to get ready for the days trip. When we are ready for breakfast, we go down and pilot the boat from the lower steering station which also has a GPS chart plotter to follow our progress. With our satellite TV, we put on the morning news so it is like driving from your kitchen. After breakfast, we go back up to the fly bridge to pilot from there. It works out well.

The seas were a 3 to 4 foot chop which aren't bad for our boat. We made good time to Norfolk which is the official beginning of the intracoastal waterway starting with mile marker "1"

The waves were not bad when we left.

There are many tugs and commercial traffic along this course.

We began to see Navy type of ships as we got closer to Norfolk.

As you enter the port of Norfolk, you go past the Navy yard. These ships are huge!

Not sure what type of Naval ship this is.

Even the Naval helicopters were out.

The fleet make our old Irish Rover feel very small!

We anchored across from the City (Norfolk) in the Hospital Point anchorage which is in front of the Naval Hospital. This war ship in front of the city is a museum.

This is MAGIC which is a boat from Maine with a great couple we met along the way. They are also on their way to Florida.

We are at anchor across from the city which I didn't realize was as big as it is.

The lights are great from our cabin at night!

When we woke up, there was the Carnival Glory in front of us. They do weekly cruises out of Norfolk.

Herring Bay, MD to Solomon's Island, MD and on to Deltaville, VA

Monday, October 17, 2011 Day 36
Herring Bay to Solomon's Island, MD
Departed 7:30AM and arrived Solomon's at 11:30AM
Today's miles- 37   Total miles- 445.5

Solomon's Island was a good stop and is considered the Cape Cod for the Washington DC crowd. A lot of fancy boats etc. We stayed at a marina which with a BoatUS discount was only $1.00 per foot and $5.00 for electricity. Not a bad deal. They had a loaner car, an old Mercedes which we borrowed to get our propane tank filled and go to the store.

Coming into Solomon's Island entrance.

We docked across from a light house museum which was kind of cool.

We left early following a parade of boats to our next destination.

Tues, October 18, 2011 Day 37

Solomon's Island, MD to Deltaville, VA

Departed 8:00AM and arrived in Deltaville at 4:30PM

Today's miles- 54   Total miles-  499.5

We were hoping to be in Deltaville overnight but mother nature again had other plans and gave us both rain and extremely high winds of 25 to 30knots. the 2nd night we were awake all night and dragged our anchor. Luckily if you want to call it that, the sail boat anchored behind us also dragged so there was no problem. Out of the 5-boats in the bay, three of us dragged and moved the next morning in heavy winds to another anchorage across the river which had protection from the wind so we got a good nights sleep the 3rd. Night.

This is a Naval facility we passed after leaving Solomon's Island.

Cruising past one of the many light houses in the Chesapeake Bay.

Our first night anchored in Deltaville was quiet but we knew the weather was going to turn bad the next morning.

Even got to toast another sunset while cooking dinner. We cooked a pork loin on the grill, hence the white wine!

Annapolis, MD to Herring Harbor, MD

Sunday October 16, 2011 day 35
Departed 10:30AM arrived Herring Harbor, MD at 1:00PM
Today's miles- 18   Total miles - 408.5

We ended up staying 5-days because of bad weather. It was either raining or high winds. We made the best of it by visiting more Annapolis sites. We finally had a good day to move on Sunday and went down the Chesapeake to Herring Harbor which was a good anchorage for the night. We will be leaving in the morning for Solomons Island, MD

Since we were stuck in Annapolis for a few extra days, we found a good Irish Pub and went a couple of times. Good Shepard's Pie!

After the rain, there was a great Rainbow over downtown and the boat show.

The skies began to clear which is a good thing!

We were moored right off of the Navel Academy which looked great at night.

We left Annapolis for Herring Harbor.

Herring Harbor was quiet with only a couple of other boats for the night.

Chesapeake City to Annapolis, MD

Monday October 10, 2011   Day 29
Departure Chesapeake City at 9:00 AM  Arrived Annapolis at 4:00PM
Today's miles-- 54 miles.  Total Cumulative miles-- 390.5

We left Chesapeake City under fair skies and calm seas. The ride down the C&D Canal into the Chesapeake Bay was smooth and a  good day. We arrived in Annapolis as the Sail boat show was being shut down. There were many boats either leaving or taking moorings and anchoring to leave the following day. It was extremely bust in the harbor and we anchored off of the football field at the Naval Academy. The weather is turning rainy and the winds are picking up. It appears that we will be here several days waiting for good weather to continue South.

Leaving Chesapeake City with 2-other trawlers that spent the night there also.

Coming up on the Bay Bridge on Chesapeake Bay.

One of the bridges traffic goes east to west and the other, west to east.

Anchored off of the Academy.

sunset over the anchorage.

Cooking dinner on the gas grill. The bright lights in the background are the football field at the Academy.

We are enjoying the streets of Annapolis.

We visited the Naval Academy

The grounds are meticulous and very impressive.

The motto in the room up the stairs says Don't give up the ship! Sounds good to me!

Under the Academy's Chapel is a crypt which holds the body of John Paul Jones who was the 1st Naval Captain. He was originally buried in Paris where he died penniless. 114 years latter, it was decided that he should be brought to the Academy and given a proper tribute. They found his casket under a store in Paris and when the opened it, the body was perfectly preserved since it was buried covered in straw and alcohol. I knew there where good reasons to drinking alcohol!!

This is the wheel from the USS Hartford.

Cape May, NJ to Annapolis, MD with stops in Cohansey River & Cheapeake City, MD

Leaving Cape May and starting down the Cape May Canal

Sat. October 8, 2011 day #27
Cape May to Cohansey River off of Delaware River.
Departed 10:45AM from Cape May Arrived at Cohansey River at 4:45PM
Miles today- 32  Cummulative miles- 302.5

We finally got out of Cape May after our repairs. It was a great place but it was time to move on. We hit the tide going up the Delaware Bay and had a great trip up to the Cohansey River off of the Delaware River. It was a very quite anchorage and we en joyed a great sunset at dinner time.
We will be leaving tomorrow morning and completing the Delaware Bay and go through the C&D Canal.

This is a car carrier that goes between Europe and the US

At aur anchorage at Cohansey River, it was a lot of low maesh land with deep water in the chanal.

Carole texting at sunset. Before we retired, she never texted!

We toasted in the sunset with some cabernet sauvignon, no way better to celebrate!

Our sunset at Cohansey River

SUNDAY OCTOBER 9, 2011

Day 28

Cohansey River to Chesapeake City, MD

Departed 8:AM 

Arrived 12:noon

Today's miles 34    Cummulative miles-- 336.5

Leaving Cohansey River

Sunrise on the Chohansey River

Dung Thorofare Anchorage, Sandy Point, NJ to Cape May, NJ

September 27, 2011  Day 16
Departure- 9:30AM --Arrival Cape May - 11:00AM
Today's miles- 8   Accumulative miles- 270.5

We anchored off of the Coast Guard station in Cape May to contact the Canyon Club Resort Marina. We have been having problems with our steering system in the boat and it has been getting harder and harder to steer. The problem gets worse when there is pressure from the current such as going through bridges and going by tugs and barges. Just the time you need the steering most!

We went to the Canyon Club Resort on Sept. 28th and they were to look at the steering. Being that the Irish Rover is 33-years old, the steering system is made up of chains and sprockets that turn from the top steering station, the main station and goes through the engine compartment and makes a couple of jogs to get to the rudder. We were needing 2-hands to turn the upper helm!

They removed parts of the system and it became clear that many parts would have to be manufactured to fix the problem since they are not off the shelf items and there would be no guarantees. We bit the bullet and are having a new hydraulic steering system put in.

Our 38th wedding anniversary is on October 26th and I told Carole that its a coincidence that the 38th is Hydraulics!!! Happy Anniversary Carole!!!

It is now October 5th and we are hoping that they will finish up tomorrow and we can leave Friday or Saturday. Our next part of the trip will take us up the Delaware Bay and across the C & D Canal to the Chesapeake Bay. Sorry for not posting sooner but we wanted to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

We have been having a good time riding the bikes and visiting Cape May but we are ready to move on.

Coming into Cape May we met this tug and barge

These are our dock mates across from us. Our trawler is a bit out of place here but the were referred to us as having great mechanics.

Going around the corner from our marina is a fishing fleet right in front of the Lobster House Restaurant which is a great stop and dinner.

This is the schooner America which is the cocktail lounge for the Lobster House and a great place to pass the time! The food is great also but the $5.00 martinis are small but priced right!

These are the fishing boats as we were leaving the restaurant in the dingy after dark. There are about 20 boats and they look great all lit up!

There are tons of older Victorian houses all around Cape May. We rode our bikes all over the area.

This is the Cape May light house.

A must stop in Cape May is Sunset Beach where they have a ceremony up to October at each sunset. The sunsets are over the Delaware Bay.

Sunset Beach, a good way to end the day and start cocktail hour!!

We hope that our repairs stay on track and we can continue our adventure!