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​Ticket To Ride

Delaware Bay.....the Chesapeake Bays Ugly Stepsister!

5/26/2019

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Bohemia Bay Yacht Harbor, MD 5/18/2019
C & D Canal
​Delaware City Marina, Delaware City 5/19-21/2019
​Farley State Marina, Atlantic City, NJ 5/22-25/2019
​Hoffman Marina, Brielle, NJ 5/25-27/2019
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View from the bow of the boat. We got our little chairs out for the first time since Marathon and enjoyed a cocktail on the bow and watched the sunset.
Bohemia Bay
Bohemia Bay Yacht Harbor was our last stay on the Chesapeake Bay.  It reminded us of home.  It was a beautiful, wide river lined with trees and we easily could have mistaken it for the St. Croix.  The marina was so friendly and very family oriented.  The couple behind us on the T head had been boating there for over 30 years.  They offered us their car to get groceries and were so welcoming.  We enjoyed the sunset and watching families playing on the beach.  We stayed only one night as it was near the C & D Canal and we were headed there Sunday.
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Busy dad on the beach at Bohemia Bay with all his boys.
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A lipstick sunset at Bohemia Bay
Sunday morning was a debris filled cruise thru the C & D Canal.  With all the rain in the area, rivers were flooding and those that run into the canal were dumping lots of logs and branches that we needed to dodge on our way thru.  The Chesapeake and Delware Canal connects the two bodies of water.  It's a man made canal and was made primarily for commerical traffic to get goods thru to interior ports.  We got lucky and didn't meet any barges and got to our destination, Delaware City Marina by early afternoon.  
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Coast Guard Station on C & D Canal. We typically have slipped very near Coast Guard Stations all along the trip.
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One of many bridges on the canal. You can see just a little of the debris floating toward us.
Delaware City Marina
 It was a gorgeous day, so we unpacked the bag bikes and biked for most of the afternoon.  There is a walk/bike path that runs the length of the canal, 14 miles from Chesapeake City to Delaware City.  It was busy with lots of bikers and walkers and us ;) on Sunday.  ​
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Delaware City Marina is located on a canal that reminded us of the Root River!
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We came upon the old Delaware Canal lock
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Docktails with Looper friends, "Sunshine Rose", Dave & Rose after our captains meeting in Delaware City
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The calm before the storm....the beginning of our trip "down bay" as Tim the Dockmaster refers to it. We were rocking and rolling so much near the end of the trip that I wasn't able to take a photo ;(
​Up before dawn this morning to make the trip from Delaware City to Atlantic City. There was a total of seven boats making the trek down the bay and according to Tim, the Dockmaster at Delaware City Marina, the Delaware Bay was going to be the best it could be for traveling.  Tim conducts nightly captains’ meetings for those seeking guidance from a local who knows his stuff!  We attended both Monday night and Tuesday nights meetings and the modes for wind, waves, current and weather predicted a stellar day. 
It’s interesting to us because NO ONE and I mean NO ONE, ever talked about the Delaware Bay being a tricky and icky piece of water.  It’s only 60 miles to Cape May from Delaware City, but it’s can be a treacherous trip if you don’t do your homework.  Tom does a great job with researching the conditions for us so it was very gratifying for him in the meetings to know his findings were correct.
After all the slow boats got off the dock, boats that are going 7 – 9 knots, we pulled up to the fuel dock, filled up and pumped out and were on our way by 7:15am.  We took off.  Seas were great for while….and then they weren’t.  Tim said it could change once we started to slant into the east side of the bay to access the canal and it did!  The last 15 miles were HORRID.  The dingy was taking a pounding and I was afraid it was going to get ripped off the swim platform.  We plowed thru and made to the canal and then stopped in the Cape May basin area got the dinghy pulled back into place, reattached the wench to the front ring, tightened down the straps and added two more to secure it even better.
After regrouping, we headed out the Cape May Inlet with a little trepidation.  Neither of us were interested in getting p***pounded again.  To our amazement, the Atlantic was beautiful.  The waves were less than 1 ft and the farther north we traveled, the more the seas flattened.  Our last 40 miles was a piece of cake and we arrived in Atlantic City at the Farley State Marina at the Golden Nugget by 12:15pm.  Not bad for a 105 mile day.  Sometimes it’s great being able to run fast!
Farley State Marina, Atlantic City, NJ
Well, Atlantic City is exactly like you think it is.  Big casinos, the boardwalk and guys asking you, "How you do'in?"  I'm serious!  I felt like I was in an episode of Jersey Shores and Snooky was going to appear any moment. ;)
We forget that as we are traveling north the boating season is just beginning.  Memorial Day is the kick off for most boaters.  It definitely was that way in Atlantic City.  After we arrived on Wednesday, the boating masses began to filter into the marina.  Large boats and people  ready to party.  We were feeling pretty old.....in bed by nine as the band in the marina was just warming up!
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Left: The Boardwalk in Atlantic City Above: Entertainers on the boardwalk in Atlantic City
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The beach of the Boardwalk
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View from the pool at the Golden Nugget of the marina and Atlantic City
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The hotel had a huge recreation area for volleyball, bags, soccer, etc. It was really cool.
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Vegas on the water....
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The "Boardwalk" was quite the vessel! We never did find out whose yacht this was. Helicopter was out of hand.
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One of "Boardwalk's" fenders.....it's as large as our dinghy!
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Docktails on Bella in Atlantic City with Looper friends, "Knights Kingdom", Jim & Justine
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Really all they sold were silo's.....
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Datenight in Atlantic City ❤
Hoffman Marina, Brielle, NJ
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Saddly, my only picture in from Hoffman Marina. Walking to church in Manasquan, NJ
You're not suppose to have a schedule when you're on the Loop and up to this point, we've pretty much stuck to that philosophy, but we have family and friends  (Sam, Griff, Dave & Megan Weinhold)  arriving this week on Fire Island, NY, and  come hell or high water 😉 we're gonna get there!  So we took off from Atlantic City early when a weather window presented itself Saturday and arrived in Brielle, NJ.  It was a bumpy ride at first but got better the closer to our destination.
We've only been here two days, checked out the town and reprovisioned but are leaving tomorrow for Fire Island because we got lucky again and have another good weather window.  I can't wait!  We've been put intouch with a friend of a friend, Glen, who boats on Fire Island.  He's been a great resource and we can't wait to meet him, his wife, family and Rob and Sarah (Weinhold) Duke and their family tomorrow.  It's gonna be another great adventure on the Loop!

​More later from Fire Island~
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Annapolis - Boating Mecca

5/17/2019

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Chesapeake Harbour Marina, Annapolis, MD 5/15-18/2019
​Side Trip - Washington, DC
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Back in March, we saw the Yacht Capital of the World - Fort Lauderdale and this week, Annapolis, known as the sailing capital.  Annapolis is amazing.  Marina's abound and the historic district is right off the water next to the Naval Academy.  We were surprised to find out this nationally renowned boating city's population is only 40,000.  From the looks of it, there are more boats than people.
We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and settled in.  We had a few things to get done while in Annapolis, like getting the transmission fluid changed and finding transportation to Washington, DC for our side trip, in addition to taking in this historic water town.
We met our slip neighbor, Dennis, who welcomed us right off and who happened to have lived in Minnesota for 29 years.  We ended up doing docktails in the evening with Dennis and learned all about his sailing adventures.  Great guy!

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Dennis lived in MN for 29 years. Of course he knew where MN was and how to pronounce Wabasha. Super nice guy. He use to sail but has passed over to the "dark side" and now owns a trawler. He left on Saturday for Newport, RI.
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Our digs for a few days in Annapolis, Chesapeake Harbour Marina. It's a quiet, friendly place a couple miles from downtown.
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On our "get off the boat" walk we found Pam Lund's boat! :)
Thursday we took off early in the rain in an uber for DC.  We wanted to beat rush hour and we did!  Our uber driver got us all the way down by the Washington Memorial and that's where we began our walking tour of the monuments.  They were spectacular and everything I had imagined.  Tom has been to Washington several times (I never have), most recently with Sam as guardians on a WWII Honor Flight, so he was a great tour guide.  
Most folks have been to DC, so I'll try not to bore you with too many photos...
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Both of us infront of the Washngton Monument
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The Lincoln Memorial
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World War II Memorial
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The Vietnam Memorial
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The Korean Memorial. It was especially special for me to see this one. My Uncle Bobby, my mom's brother fought in the Korean War. He was captured and died. This memorial is very touching.....
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Our walking travels took us passed the Treasury Department
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No trip to DC is complete without a glimpse at the White House
We then headed to National Museum of American History (Smithsonian).  Loved our time touring the Entrepreneurial Exhibit along with everything else in this museum.  It was amazing and we spent the entire afternoon there.  
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The Price of Freedom illustrated many of the battles. I especially liked this one since it showed the Chesapeake/York River.
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Abe's hat ;)
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Great day in DC!
Friday was spent changing transmission fluid and checking out downtown Annapolis.  Below are a few shots of Annapolis....
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My morning walk in Annapolis...
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Annapolis was first settled in the mid 1600's. Pictured above is the Maryland State House. It's the oldest U.S. state capitol in continuous legislative use, dating to 1772 and housing the Maryland General Assembly, plus the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor.
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The Shiplap House in Historic Annapolis
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The Naval Academy is located in the historic area of Annapolis. Commissioning Week began Saturday. As we walked the downtown streets there were lots of cadets in their whites out and about.
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This pic is of Ego Alley, downtown Annapolis. It's a narrow channel near the Annapolis City Dock where both large and small boats cruise up and down to see and be seen!
Up next Bohemia River and the C & D Canal~
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Cold & Wet in St. Michaels

5/15/2019

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Waiting until the afternoon to travel is typically not our mode of operation, but Saturdays weather called for a delay in departure.  The Chesapeake Bay is a large body of water and like any large body of water it can be ugly.  Tom had been following the weather for days and knew the wind coming from the northeast was suppose to start dying down by mid-afternoon from 10-12 mph to 4-8 mph and waves were suppose to be 1-2, so definitely doable on the Chesapeake.  We took off about 1pm and it was rough, but we were heading to St. Michaels on the East coast of the Chesapeake in Maryland and figured we could handle it.  It did eventually flatten out a little and since we got up on plane, we got there in about 2 1/2 hours.  There are definitely benefits to being able to get up and run.
As day turned to evening on Saturday in St. Michaels, the clouds grew darker and it started raining and blowing.  Typically, we check out our new ports right away, but we decided to stay onboard instead with hopes that Sunday (Mother’s Day) would bring better weather.  It didn’t.   However, it did bring calls from two boys, one from MN and another from CO, that brightened my cold, rainy Mother’s Day. 
Monday wasn’t much better, but we still got out and wandered around town.  To call St. Michaels quaint is an understatement.  When everyone you talk to recommends that you stop in St. Michaels, they are right.  It truly is a gem on the Chesapeake.  We loved our time in St. Michaels even though the weather didn’t cooperate. 
Here’s a few thoughts from our time in St. Michaels……
  •  It’s known as “the town that fooled the British”.  Look it up.  It’s a fun story and we actually saw the Cannon Ball House.   Just like all the other places on the Chesapeake, it’s steeped in history. Most notably, it was home to Frederick Douglass, when he was a slave. 
  • It’s the home of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.   We spent an afternoon wandering the grounds and many buildings learning the history of this little community (pop. 1100) and how both  boat building and fishing, specifically oystering, helped it thrive.
  • Surprise! I ran into Mike and Melissa (not loopers) on my morning walk in St. Michaels.  They are a couple from the Chesapeake Bay area that we met way back in Fort Pierce, FL on our way thru.  They were on C dock and very sweet to us.  Now how does something like that happen?  Crazy!
  • Our dock boy, Cole told us that he LOVED Minnesota! (Most of the people we meet on the Loop don't even know where Minnesota is.  Seriously).  He ironically has attended hockey camps at Shattuck-St. Mary’s.  We asked if he knew Tyler or Dylan, but no ☹
  • It’s not a good idea to lift a 170 lb. cannon ball on display at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.  Sometimes you drop it…..right Tom?
  • Even the most “arduously opposed to eating raw oysters person”, that would be me, has finally succumbed to the slimy, fishy, smelly crustaceans.  I NEVER would have believed it.  Must be all the salt air.  I’m actually digging them!  Hopefully I won’t get the gout like someone else I know….
  • We met a nice couple and their daughters from Virginia, Wayne and Lisa.  They came over Tuesday night to talk about the Loop.  They are considering it.  We shared our little bit of experience with them and they shared a rootbeer tasting with us!
  • Full confession….neither of us like crab and we are in the land crab.  Crab soup, crab cakes, lump crab, soft shelled crab, crab fritters, steamed crab, crab pots 😉  
  • Rain, rain go away…..and when it doesn’t visit the St. Michaels Classic Car Museum.  We had a fun time on a rainy afternoon checking out all the cars.
Below are some shots from our time in St. Michaels~

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Downtown St. Michaels - a Mermaid made out of drift wood
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The Episcopal Church in St Michaels. The church bells rang daily on the hour, quarter and half hour. We could hear them in the marina perfectly.
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One of many beautiful historic homes in St Michaels.
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They are definitely not prohibitionists in St Michaels. We found the Lyons Distillery and now know what Larry Lyons is doing with all of his time.....
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The local tap room had a "tap fountain"
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Classic Car Museum, St. Michaels
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Vintage firetruck for the fire fighters in the family: Henry, Adam and Peter
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
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1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse
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Working Boatyard at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM)
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A backstaff, a navigational instrument developed in 1594. Man am I ever happy to have my Navionics!
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Lighthouse lamp light
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Tom checking out the helm of a 1951 Owens
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1951 All Mahogany 30 ft. Owens
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A listing of all the lighthouses on the Chesapeake Bay
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Production line/equipment for canning crab
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More crab pots!
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Outside the oystering exhibition building at CBMM
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Isabel was donated by a family that had boated on her for over 69 years
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Tom and his buddies
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Lots and lots of oysters.....
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What's for dinner?
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Oyster boats on the Chesapeake
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When in Rome....
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High water. I missed the shot of the water up on the docks, but you can see between the rain and the tide it got high.
More later from Annapolis and Washington, DC~
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It's Solomons

5/10/2019

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​Solomons, MD - Spring Cove Marina, 5/8-11/19
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Our view from the boat of the Calvert Cliffs, near the entrance to the Patuxent River and Solomons, dominate the shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay for roughly 24. They were formed over 10 to 20 million years ago when all of Southern Maryland was covered by a warm, shallow sea. When the sea receded the cliffs were exposed and began eroding. Today these cliffs reveal the remains of prehistoric species Including sharks, whales, rays, and seabirds that were the size of small airplanes.
We've taken a few days to regroup in Solomons, MD.  The boat needed a little attention:  oil change, air filters, impellers, etc. so we have been enjoying this beautiful area of the Chesapeake on the west coast.  Solomons, not Solomon as the locals will remind you,   includes Solomons Island and mainland on the north side of the mouth of Patuxent River, where it meets the Chesapeake Bay. It is just across from the U.S. Patuxent River Naval Air Station (on the south side of the mouth of the Patuxent River).  The northside of the island is filled with one marina after another.  Not fancy marinas filled with yachts, smaller marinas filled with weekend sailboats, cruisers, trawlers and working fishing/crabbing boats.  We stayed at Spring Cove Marina and the staff and people on the docks couldn't have been nicer.  Lots of folks just getting there boats splashed in and busy with the spring boat cleaning routine of scrubbing off the winter dirt.
You can really tell that were getting farther north now because of the landscape.  It's finally getting green.  The marina, which is set back in a little cove along banks of trees and beautiful flower beds, was in spring mode and getting greener by the minute.  It had a great pool and pool bar, but it was just a little too chilly even for these Minnesotans to swim ;)

On our way to Solomons, the Chesapeake was FULL of crab pots.  I picked out one bright red one to show you what they look like.  You can really see this one...most of the time they are much more difficult to see.  They come in all colors. This one looks kind of like a bomb.  The second shot is of the cage attached to that floating bobber and why you don't want to hit them.  They'll wrap right around your prop and then you're not going anywhere!
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Crab pot bobber. We call them "crabby's" when we are traveling.
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Crab pot. This one was in the Calvert Marine Museum and has a yellow bobber.
PictureJC Lore and Sons Oyster Packing/Seafood plant illustrates the tie to the fishing industry in the community. It is a part of the Calvert Marine Museum.
On our last day in Solomons, we headed to the Calvert Marine Museum.  It was super interesting and they actually moved the Drum Point Light House right into the museum cove.  We toured both the museum and the lighthouse and learned the history of this little community on the Chesapeake.  Just like all the communities along the Chesapeake it's history stems from the water that surrounds it.  It was a safe, deep harbor in 1812, and helped harbor florilla's of ships prior to attacking the British.  It was also the site of the Amphibious Training during WW II.  It is still the home of the University of Maryland Chesapeake Biological Lab.  And through the years it's existence was centered around ship building.  Below are photos from around Solomons and The Calvert Marine Museum.

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Boardwalk along the Patuxent River
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Fishing boats right outside the Catholic Church.....
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Above and below: Boats on display at the Calvert Marine Museum
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A "Two Log" canoe build in Solomons, MD
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Drum Point Lighthouse, Solomons, MD
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Lighthouse kitchen
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Lighthouse Keepers bedroom
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Mechanical Bell Striker located on the second floor of the lighthouse.  It was used when the weather was foggy and the boats couldn't see the light.  It would do a double strike every 15 seconds, so boats that couldn't see the light could atleast hear the bell and  run aground on Drum Point.  
If a light keeper was married and had a family, they were allowed to live at the light house too.  The light house had two bedrooms, a sitting room, kitchen, bell room, study/telephone room.  It was actually quite comfortable.

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Jelly Fish display at the Calvert Marine Museum. In addition to the fantastic boat, lighthouse and historical fishing displays, the museum also had a full sealife area with sting rays and fish native to the area.
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Remember the Calvert Cliffs in the first picture? Well this display is a replica of the types of fossils that paleontologists have found in the cliffs.
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Even though it is a Marine Museum, Calvert Counties history wouldn't be complete without Tabacco Farming. Pictured is a Tabacco press.
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Fishing might be the big industry on the Chesapeake but pleasure boating is the passion for many on the bay. The museum had a full display of outboard motors, beautifully finished wooden boats and the history of fun on the water.
One of the things I was most impressed with with the photography display by Jay Fleming, entitled:  Working on the Water.  His photography catches the working fisherman on Tangiers and Smith Islands in action.  An incredibly beautiful look into the lives of the fisherman on this bay.
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More from St. Michaels later~
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Mile O.....the beginning and the end

5/9/2019

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Norfolk/Portsmouth, VA - Tidewater Yacht Marina, 5/4-6/19
​Deltaville, VA - Regatta Pointe Marina, 5/7/19
The End.....of the Atlantic ICW
The cruise up from Coinjock MM49 to Norfolk/Portmouth, MM 0, was quite the trip!  We had 12 bridges - seven had to be opened and one lock that was timed with the opening of the bridge right before it.  For the most part we've been cruising right along on the ICW without interuption or delays so we weren't expecting so many bridge openings and a lock on our last day on the Atlantic ICW.  Crazy! 
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This bridge is The Great Bridge Bridge. No I didn't stutter :) Seriously. Tom and I giggled when we called the bridge tender. This bridge was the one that coincided with the lock.
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This was our first lock since the Tenn-Tom River. It was tiny compared to the locks we are used to. In this lock we had to have our own lines on the bow and stern and the lock attendant grabbed them from us and wrapped it around a huge cement bollard and then handed it back. That was a new one!
 We arrived in Norfolk, VA on Saturday.....along with just about every other Looper!  There is a big Looper Rendezvous in Norfolk this week and a portion of the Loopers that are enroute on the East coast participate.  The Rendezvous is a mix of both current and future Loopers.  There are seminars that focus on everything from buying a boat, to the reluctant spouse, routes and everything inbetween.  Since we've been to a Rendezvous already, we decided to pass on this one and so did many in our marina, but it was great to see so many Looper flags flying when you walked down the docks.
Sunday we met up with the Halvorsons.  Jim and Jo have lived in Virginia Beach for forty years but are originally from Hooterville.  It was great catching up with them.  They took us across the Bay Bridge and tunnel to Cape Charles, a town on the East Coast of the Chesapeake.  We had a little lunch and a bump and then headed back to their home.  They are in the process of renovating a new home, so we got to see that as well.  The day was capped off with a Cinco de Mayo dinner with some of their friends.  It's alway so much fun to see friends and family from home while we are on the Loop.  The Halvorson's were so gracious and hospitable.  Thank you for spending the day showing us around your neck of the woods!
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Tom and I with Jim and Jo Halvorson
The Beginning - Exploring the Chesapeake Bay
​Monday we were suppose to take off for Yorktown but Wallace the Weather Bear got up early and evaluated the wind, wave, tides and weather and canceled our travel day.  We were able to stay another day at the marina in Portsmouth, which is always a good thing when they let you stay because of bad weather ;), had a planning pow-wow for our upcoming time on the Chesapeake Bay, made reservations and got some groceries.  Sometimes delays aren't a bad thing.
Tuesday was much more hospitable weather-wise and we had a great run up to Deltaville and Regatta Point Marina.  It was a great little place and we really enjoyed the laid back vibe.  Below are pics from Norfolk/Portsmouth and also from Regatta Point Marina in Deltaville.
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View of downtown Norfolk from the Tidewater Marina, Portsmouth, VA
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Pretty maids all in a row....
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Sites around Norfolk....
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A working boat. Don't mind the wake.....
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The cruise ship port was right across from our marina.
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Morning shot leaving Norfolk
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Hampton, Virginia from the water
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Grill'in and Chill'in
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Happy hour pool
We went from downtown in Norfolk/Portsmouth to rustic in Deltaville.  We loved the front porch rocking chairs overlooking the marina......
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We enjoyed our first stop on the Chesapeake Bay in Deltaville .  For years we wondered what it would be like on the Chesapeake.  Father Engels told us that Lake Pepin reminded him of a tiny Chesapeake Bay.  He was right.  They say you can spend season after season on the Chesapeake exploring all it has to offer.  Both the East and west coasts have tons of marinas and anchorages and towns and villages that are all about boating and the bay.  Deltaville was that kind of place.  We look forward to the rest of our stops on the Chesapeake.
​More later~
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Half Looped!

5/7/2019

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River Forest Marina, Belhaven, NC   5/1/19
Alligator River Marina, Alligator River, NC  5/2/19
​-------Virginia Cut------
Coinjock Marina, Coinjock, NC  5/3/19

We've made it half way! 
After looking at our route guides a bijillion times, we figured out that at Belhaven, NC we are half way around the Loop, that is from Grafton, IL not Wabasha, MN.  We started the real Loop route in Grafton, IL after boating 550 miles down the Mississipi.  Feels great to be half Looped!
Here are a few stats at the half way point:
Miles traveled:  3,331
Ports:  56
Locks:  40

Biggest challenge so far:   Skinny water, tides & slack tide timing on the east coast
Up Next on the Loop:  Chesapeake Bay, Hudson River, Erie Canal, Canada, Great Lakes, Chicago

River Forest Marina, Belhaven, NC
After crossing the Pamlico Sound, it was a few miles up the river to River Forest Marina.  From the minute we pulled into River Forest Marina in Belhaven, NC, we knew if was going to be a unique place.  Hank, the dockmaster and Eddie his assistant were there with big smiles.  Hank was missing his front tooth, but he assured me he wasn't a redneck....."I'm headed to Grinval (Greenville)  tommara to git me my implant."  
Hank, is Belhavens unofficial ambassador and was singing the praises of this little gem of a town, which happens to be where the Atlantic ICW originated.  To say that Hank was an expert conversationalist would be an understatement.  He was johnny on the spot to make dinner reservations for us at the 5 Star restaurant in town, Spoon River and wanted us to take the marina golf cart there since it "was a piece down the road and too far to walk."  He kept close tabs on us and even asked me how my nap was...... 
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Me and my buddy, Hank. He refused to smile for the pic, stating that he really didn't open his mouth unless he was talking..... We loved this fella!
So not only does Belhaven have Hank to sing it's praises, but the president of the city counsel, Miss Diana, came down on to the docks to shake hands with all the transcients and welcome them to Belhaven.  She was a hoot!  Southern to her roots!
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River Forest Marina, Belhaven, NC. Great stop on the Loop!
After we got tied up and we got a text from our friends, John & Karen Swarthout, from Maryland.  We met them way back at Legacy Marina in Fort Myers.  We've stayed in touch after Legacy and were able to meet up in Belhaven.  They had a long, 12 hour travel day, but were game to meet up with us after they arrived at Belhaven.  We had drinks and did dinner at Spoon River, the local 5 star and had a chance to catch up.  It was so fun to see them and hope that we'll see them when we get to the Chesapeake. 
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John and Karen Swarthout, friends we've met while looping from Maryland.
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Belhaven Events Center. This sat right behind the marina and was such a cool setting for a wedding.
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We woke up in Belhaven to LOTS of bugs! They were like mosquitos, but they didn't bit. There were thousands of them on the outside of the boat and they turned it green! Tom had to scrub the boat before we could even take off - they were nasty!
Alligator River Marina, Alligator River, NC
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Not a great pic, but this is our wake and the color of the Alligator River. It's like a copper brown. A lot of the boats that traverse the Alligator River end up with a brown mustache on their bow!
We took off from Belhaven after 8am.  It was a later than usual start for us, but I had calculated Alligator River to be only 35 miles.  Whoops!  It was 52 miles.  It was slow going and very narrow on the ICW for about 20 miles, but in that time we came up on three Looper vessels we hadn't met yet.  Gammel Dansk, from Redwing, MN, Aurora from Stillwater, MN and Sigrid from Milwaukee, WI.  The three had been traveling together since the river system.  We conversed on the VHF and then all ended up at Alligator River Marina.  It's really a truck stop with a bunch of slips, but a good place to stop before crossing the Albemarle Sound if there is bad whether.
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We came upon this beautiful shrimp boat....most of them don't look this good, as we were going up the Alligator River. It was part of the Seafood and Marine Supply business below.
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Once we all arrived at the Alligator River Marina, Dana from Misty Pearl, another Looper boat suggested we all do docktails.  It was great meeting the midwest Loopers.  We all agreed it was strange that we'd hadn't cross paths yet.  There were a lot of Loopers at Alligator that night:  Misty Pearl, Knights Kingdom, Sigrid, Aurora, Knot Ready, Gammel Dansk and us.  It was fun sharing looping stories with each other.
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Alligator River Marina, NC aka truck stop!
Decision Time - Virginia Cut or Dismal Swamp
We had decided about a month ago that we would definitely be doing the Virgina Cut instead of the Dismal Swamp.  Both routes get you to Norfolk/Portsmouth, VA, but the Dismal Swamp is the more historic route, albeit very shallow.  Lots of folks on the Looper forum had posted issues with depth and even prop damage.  The icing on the cake for us was the kayak gathering that was to take place on the Dismal Swamp pretty much shutting it down for a full day.  The Virginia Cut looked much more appealing and no issues with depth so it was a no brainer. 
Wallace the Weather Bear, aka Tom, had been keeping track of the weather and knew that the Albemarle Sound would be calm and the wind would be in our favor, so we took off for Coinjock, NC and arrived early afternoon.  Our Albemarle crossing was great with no issues.  Coinjock Marina is a 1200 ft face dock and restaurant know for it's prime rib.  In fact, it's recommended when you make your slip reservations that also make a prime rib reservation.  It was a fun over night and we did eat at Coinjocks! 
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Coinjock Marina, NC
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Just incase your wondering what Coinjock means.....
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A new IPA at Coinjocks
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The dinner hour at Coinjocks!
More later~
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So you had a bad day.....so what!

5/1/2019

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Seapath Yacht Club, Wrightsville Beach, NC 4/29/19
​M
orehead City Yacht Basin, Morehead City, NC 4/30/19
​Wrightsville Beach, NC & Morehead City, NC
I just added another day to the not good category……Tom tells folks when they ask about the Loop and spending so much time with his wife that most days are great and very few are not so good.  Well this last week I added another day to the not so good category. When I blog, it typically sounds like sunshine and flowers and I know it sounds really trite cause how could you have a bad day when you’re on your boat, the sun is out and it’s 80 degrees, yada, yada, yada, but it happens.  Here’s why…..
We decided to travel outside again instead of taking the ICW to Morehead City, the conditions were perfect to take the Atlantic the 80 miles up and avoid numerous bridges and possible delays at Camp Le Juene.  We headed out at 6:20am, got 6 miles into the trip and all the sudden, our starboard engine made a pop and then whizzing sound.  We pulled back and tried to identify what it could be.  Could we proceed on?  Do we need to turn around?  Tom got down in the engine room and figured out it was our exhaust manifold and we’d need to turn around.  We were pretty lucky that we were only six miles out.  So we did a u-turn and headed back to the marina.
We got back by 8am and a technician arrived by 10am to help Tom with a new clamp on the manifold and tightened the alternator belt.  We got sooooo lucky.  All repairs were complete by noon so then we had to decide if we were still going to try to get to Morehead City via the outside that day or not.  We decided to go for it.  Unfortunately, it was a lot choppier by noon but we bore down and rode the chop for 3 plus hours to the Beaufort Inlet.
By the time we arrived and tied up we were both exhausted, hungry, ornery, a little homesick and had a little PMS (me, not Tom)  and weren’t saying much to each other because anything we said to each was irritating!  Just being honest.   We’d been up since before 5 am and it had been a long day and its never good when you have boat issues, but Tom will tell you, “it’s a boat, one problem will get fixed and it will just be replaced by another.” 
After a great meal out (much needed), and a call from my brother, Jimmy, my sister, Jane and a Facetime with my great nieces, Charlotte and Vivi, and Tom talked to his buddies Timmy D, and Piltz, all was back to thumbs up.  Sometimes you just have one of those days…..
Below are just a few shots from Wrightsville Beach and Morehead City~
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A common occurance on the AICW. We've met quite a few dredges along the way dredging the very shallow areas where shoaling has happened typically near inlets.
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Just one of many really cool boats that you'll see on the ICW.
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On our "get off the boat" walk we found this fun van parked at the Mello Mushroom. We thought Sam, Weinholds and Barbers would appreciate it! :)
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Morehead City Yacht Basin. Line 'em up and add'em up. That would be 1,700 ponies!!!
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All on the back of this little vessel.....think it'll giddy up?
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BELLA all tucked in on the transcient dock at a Morehead City, NC
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Sunrise leaving Morehead City Yacht Basin
Once again, we must express our condolences to the Zmolek family.  Ellen was a wonderful person and she will be greatly missed by all.  Know that our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
​More later~
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    Tom & Sue Slightam

    Read along  as we circumnavigate the eastern half of the United States and southern Canada on the Great Loop on our boat BELLA, a Cruiser 460 Express.  

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