The Chesapeake and Beyond

Baltimore is 162 nautical miles north of Virginia Beach, our next destination. If you have been reading along, you know that after stalling in the Erie Canal and the Hudson to avoid any hurricane interaction, we are traveling fast south, as fast as the weather will allow. We planned to make the journey from Baltimore to VAB in three days with anchorages along the way.

Although we don’t go crazy with float plans like some other boaters we know, we are very aware of weather. The Chesapeake runs north / south from a huge opening to the Atlantic Ocean on the south end by Virginia Beach. That means that north / south winds make for bad traveling, depending on the direction you want to travel. We left Baltimore needing to travel almost directly south.

The winds had been coming wildly from the east / west the entire time we were in Baltimore. Baltimore is tucked into a bay west of the main bay so east winds create heavy waves in Baltimore. 

We selected a day when the winds were supposed to be mild from the northeast. That puts the wind directly behind us so if the waves were bad we could count on surfing with the wind and waves pushing us ahead. That makes for a much better traveling experience than having the winds on your nose which makes a bouncy, unpleasant experience.

All that calculating is great in theory. On the day of our departure we threw off our lines. It was sunny and warm, very comfortable for traveling. Absolutely dead calm in the marina, tucked away from everything. 

We watched tows and ferries and working boats as we left the harbor. We stopped at the Baltimore Yacht Club to top off fuel out the way out. This is not a marina in town but located on one of those tentacles of land each and south of Baltimore proper. Fuel was very cheap, about $2.13 per gallon for diesel so we put in half tanks of diesel.

Check out the knives stuck in the floor
when they fell off the shelf!

The NE winds did not have an impact on us until we reached the main bay. Then WOOOOOSH, we got slammed. The wind was AWFUL. The waves were good 3 to 5 foot, short and choppy just like Lake Erie. Bunches of sailboats enjoyed it but we were NOT comfortable at all.

We are experienced boaters but we did not sign up for this. By quickly abandoned our 8 to 10 mph travel experience and sped up. While bouncing like we were on a pogo stick, I pulled out the ipad to find an anchorage on Active Captain. We spied a place to duck in off a river into what looked like a hurricane hole. No marinas that we could see but Active Captain indicated we could safely anchor out of the mess.

Kermit adjusted his path but not in time to avoid traffic. We were stuck between a UGE freighter and a sailboat race. Sorry sailboats but we drove directly through the race! The judges in the powerboats came on the radio with some not-so-friendly words of advice. Perhaps we should learn the rules of the water? Sure, next time when the water is friendlier we will be sure to look that up!

Lake Ogleton - so pretty and so calm 

We pulled into a very long narrow channel on the south side of what turns out to be the waterway to Annapolis. We looked around as we entered, veered to the left to the deeper pool and let down anchor at about noon or so. Maybe a little later. It took a while to relax after that difficult water.

We had no idea that we were that close to Annapolis. As I write this, I opened my Google maps on my phone to get the name of this inlet, Lake Ogleton, only to discover that not only were we close to Annapolis (which we figured out when we put down anchor) but that we were very close to Allan and MaryAnn Bernard, great folks we met in the Bahamas in 2013. I am so mad that we missed a chance to connect. I guess the return trip home is starting to take form. Now that we know where they live, we can easily stop in the spring.

The next morning we left at dawn. The weather was not going to get better so we decided to high tail it to Virginia Beach at full speed.

Let’s bring you up to date on the fuel filter situation. Kermit changed the fuel filters on the starboard engines in Chesapeake City after a long day traveling from Atlantic City to Chesapeake City. Then he changed them in Baltimore. He checked the filters in Lake Ogleton but things looked pretty good. Not surprising since we did not travel far from Baltimore. We were concerned about continuing to travel fast but actually the engines responded well.

Entering Lynnhaven Inlet from
Chesapeake Bay

We traveled the remaining 130 nautical miles from Lake Ogleton to Virginia Beach. We don't have a lot of pictures because there isn't much to see when you are running fast down a big body of water. Sorry. 

And we were running fast. Kermit was trying to dial in the speed to maximize fuel efficiency. We made the trip at 2100 rpm at 23 to 25 miles per hour. He pushed it to 2350 rpm and got about 28 mph. The fuel burn at 2100 is about 24 to 26 gallons per hour. 2350 is about 32 to 36 gallons per hour. That is pretty good. We arrived in Virginia Beach after traveling about 5 hours with more than a half tanks of fuel remaining. We were pleased.

The view from our dock at Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club

Good Karma at her slip at Cavalier

Neptune Statue on the boardwalk

The best part is that the fuel filters are cleaner than they have ever been. We are still changing them but we are not seeing the mulch-like stuff anymore, we can go longer before changing the filters and we are getting better performance from the engines than ever. So I think it is safe to say that we are on the other side of our fuel problems. I hate to even write that down but if we talk about the bad then we have to talk about the good!

Xmas decorations go up on
the VAB boardwalk

Virginia Beach: We had a wonderful time in VAB, as usual. Michael and Judy Hechtkopf and Sandy and Jay Tischler are wonderful hosts. 

I didn't know you could ride horses on the beach!! Next time!!

Statues honor the military in this
miltary town

Honoring the military

I should take more pictures, really...

Michael and Judy all dressed up
for the Commodore's Ball

We stayed at their club, the Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club, enjoying the lovely facilities (especially the fitness center!) 

We had dinner out and dinner at the Hechtkoft’s and Tischler’s homes. 

We rode our bikes, did grocery shopping and generally had a wonderful time.

Martha came to visit one day with her friend Liz. We got in Michael’s center console and took a little boat ride to Chick’s Oyster Bar right on the Lynnhaven Channel by the entrance to the Bay.

Boy did we eat well! We celebrated Sandy Tischler’s birthday at a yummy Italian restaurant where I had the absolute best lamb chops ever. Almost as good as the chops Jim and Karen Sigmond grilled in the days before we left Ohio.

Rocky is still a puppy! 160 pounds

Michael with Rocky the biggest
dog in the world

Big full moons equal big tides which
equals water in the parking lot

To celebrate Sandy’s birthday I wanted to make her a special present. I decided to make English toffee. I’ve had trouble making this in the past but this time I decided to try something different. I bought a new candy thermometer and some pretty serving dishes at Judy’s favorite kitchen store. I used my big heavy enamel Dutch oven and took my time. The recipes say it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to cook the toffee but I did it in about an hour while Kermit watched football. It was delicious!!! I will do that again, maybe for Christmas presents!

We visited Total Wine to stock up. Gosh I love going to that store. We bought two cases of wine, determined to put a dent in it before getting to Florida!

We went to our favorite movie theatre where waiters serve food and alcohol during the movies. Tom Cruise is still short but makes a good Jack Reacher. Just saying.

Ice on the sun pads - again

See? Icy

We spent some time with Andrew, the captain of the beautiful Angela Dawn, a 76’ Lazarra. We shared dinner twice including the absolute best grilled steaks I’ve ever eaten. I mean that. We pulled out the big Weber gas grills and just made ourselves at home in the cabana area with the big tv and propane heaters. Devine.

FYI we needed the heaters. It was COLD, getting down into the 40s and 30s regularly. We pulled out all our warmest clothing for the nights and mornings, shedding layers to shorts and t-shirts by afternoon.

Bill and Eve Gribble on Just BilEve returned from the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, stayed a couple of days to provision and rest then they pulled out on a Thursday. Kermit said the weather was not good for us. We have trouble traveling with JustBilEve because they have trouble traveling slowly and we have trouble staying with them when they travel fast. Traveling fast for them is about 17 mph which is just plowing water for us. When we travel fast we have to go 22 to 25 mph to get on plane where the fuel economy is better. And we all know that Good Karma travels best when she travels butterfly slow. So even if we left with them we probably couldn’t stay with them. We opted to stay behind waiting for better weather.

The day Just BilEve left turned out to be a gorgeous day after all. It was windy but clear, warm and lovely for several days in a row. At this writing, Just BilEve is already in Florida which we are still in Myrtle Beach. That is how fast they move and how many miles they put in during a day. We don’t want to travel like that so we take our time and move at our own pace. Such is a boater’s life.

The day before we left, Judy and I went for one last jaunt shopping to Trader Joe’s. I REALLY love that store! Best buy of the day was 1 pound of butter for $2.69 a pound. Unbelievable! I bought 4 pounds. Eventually we will eat it.

We left Cavalier on Sunday November 13, 2016. It was a little hazy but no wind. Chilly in the morning but it got warmer as the day went on. It seems like Norfolk / VAB is the dividing line between warm and chilly because since we left VAB the weather has been very nice.

Here is the plan for the next portion of the journey. Actually, not a plan because we don’t want to jinx anything. Call it more of a float idea!

Who knows how well or poorly we will keep to this float idea. Depends on weather and a million other variables. In the meantime, have a great Thanksgiving!!

Hudson River to the Chesapeake Bay

Hudson NY is really beautiful and the Hudson Power Boat Association folks are just great! We stayed here for two nights. We will definitely be back!!

Hudson NY is a refuge for folks from NYC. Many people we met lived in Hudson and commuted to NYC for work via the Metro train that stops in town. As the dockmaster (who works in the local CSX yard) said, you get a lot more for your $1 million in Hudson than you do in NYC. My thoughts exactly!!

The town itself is very old, dating from before the Revolutionary War. Many buildings have been rehabbed. There are bunches of cute shops and art galleries. 

Best bread EVER!!! La Perche Bakery -
I wish I bought a boat ful

There are lots of really old shops on this street
preparing to become something else, something more trendy.

This plant is over 75 years old! Representing 

Trendy like this. Evidently Sauerfraut (fermented cabbage)
is the hottest thing in trendiness these days. 

We didn't buy the sauerkraut but we did buy
some special hot sauce that is just delicious

Now THIS is an open and
welcoming congregation!!

Community garden at the local Presbyterian Church

Repurposing a synagague into a Baptist Church

Lots of very special, small batch bourbon!!

This "antique" shop is selling furniture that
I grew up with in the 60s for exhorbinant rates. I feel old. 

Funniest poster!!

It was a big harvest full moon! Big tides. 

Saturday night was the big Ohio State game against Wisconsin. I really wanted to find a sports bar where we could watch the game but no such luck. We ended up listening to the game on the Internet which naturally meant we both fell asleep and missed the entire second half. They won in the second half so we missed the best part of the game!!!

To get to the town, you walk across an old bridge across the Amtrak tracks, turn left one block and you are there. The main street with the shops, galleries and restaurants is one mile long.

Some of the original signs and shops are still there. I particularly enjoyed the old synagogue that is now a Baptist Church. You can still see the stars of David on the building and in the stained glass.

I also liked the plumbing business that brags that the plant in the window is over 75 years old!! Or the beautiful sentiment on the Presbyterian Church with the community garden. 

The town is known for its antiques. Since we don’t have a house I could not convince Kermit to go antiquing but some of the cute shops in town offer antiques. You know you are old when the furniture you grew up with is in the window of an antique store shown with irony. 

The high tide means the water comes up on the sidewalks routinely;
this is how you enter the Hudson Power Boat Association
from the road - past the water.

On Sunday morning we went to brunch at the place everyone recommended, Le Perch. This was the best bread from their on-site bakery that we have ever had. We should have purchased a dozen loaves. I am sure we would have eaten every crumb. The breakfast was just ok but the bread goods really made up for it. We should have bought bread at Le Perch then gone to the diner down the street for a better breakfast. Next time. 

Olana House - this is the servants entrance / kitchen - on the
back of the house

Old building waiting to be converted
to something interesting. I say we
convert it to our home!!

The main reason for this stop was to visit Olana, Frederick Church’s home in the hills on the east side of the river, 11 miles south of Hudson. Church was one of the founders of the Hudson School of Art in the mid 1800s, a style of painting that started around here based on natural, detail oriented paintings of the natural scenery in the Hudson River Valley.

Church was a shrewd business man along with an amazing painter. One story was that he finished a huge painting of South America the~n charged people twenty-five cents to come into his NYC studio to see the paining. Eighteen thousand people showed up!! Pretty smart cookie!

The view of the Hudson River from the veranda outside
Church's studio

Windows on the family quarters face an amazing river view

Like Ringling, this has a middle eastern
flavor

Church's painting gear

Kermit and Katherine trying to take a selfie at Olana!!

Olana is filled with Church paintings

Olana reminded me of the Ringling mansion in Sarasota, although a little smaller. The rooms have beautiful views of the Hudson River. Church created the scenery by planting something like 40,000 trees to enhance his view.

Church's son and his wife were the caretakers of this property even when Church was alive. In the 1960s, the remaining relative died leaving Olana furnished and set up exactly as it existed when Church was alive. There was a big campaign with NY big wigs including Rockefellers and Kennedy's that eventually had this property acquired by the US government as a historical site. So it remains today exactly as if Mr. Church just stepped away, which is an amazing feeling. 

These huge freighters come right by the boat
while we are docked on the river wall at
Hudson Power Boat Association.
They DO cause a wake!

See the freighter outside of
our kitchen window?

The people are very friendly. On Sunday night a gang of club members having drinks outside our boat called us out for drinks and conversation late into the evening. We will definitely be back!!

Famous people regularly come to Hudson and live in the community – actors, politicians and folks from famous families. The cab driver, Rick, who took us to and from Olana was telling us about some of them. The boat club folks said there were Rockefellers and such living in the neighborhood. We did not observe any exotic creatures like that, so far as we know. 

The entrance to Kingston, just
north of Hyde Park, halfway
to NYC

We left Hudson on Monday for Hyde Park NY.

The weather was gorgeous, although a bit hazy. We saw the cutest lighthouse that look just like houses.

The Hyde Park Marina, like the Hudson Power Boat Association is a relatively tiny marina right along the Hudson River.
The Hudson River has a pretty fast current with 2 to 4 foot tides. That means we have to tie the boat up loosely. In both places we tied up along the river side on the outside wall. Every time a tow or freighter comes by out boat bounces around like crazy.

Crab fishermen in the
middle of the river

At both marinas the crews were pulling boats for the winter. Evidently the Hudson River freezes pretty solidly. Coast Guard cutters cut the ice to keep the water open for freighters. If we waited another week these marinas would turn off their water and start pulling the docks out of the water, so we were just in time!

Side dishes at Culinary Institute

We pulled the bikes down and rode down a few miles north to the Culinary Institute for lunch at the Bakery. Kermit’s meal was the best – chicken sandwich with bacon jam. We MUST figure out how to make bacon jam. It was amazing!! 

Unusual crossing sign!!

Poughkeepsie Walking Bridge

Hyde Park Marina is a bit rustic. See we are docked on the
wall right on the river. 

We also ordered dessert to eat there and one to go – chocolate cake with a nougat crème filling to eat there and slices of Dutch caramel apple pie that was just ok. All in all, the food was worth the stop.

The view from the bridge

Poughkeepsie Walking Bridge

Going under the Poughkeepsie Walking Bridge

We pedaled on down past the marina, past Marist University to Poughkeepsie. I walked halfway across the Poughkeepsie Pedestrian Bridge, a must do when you are in the neighborhood. Kermit didn’t like it so much since the bridge is pretty high up. He turned green and high-tailed it down to the waiting area while I took in the sights. 

We cancelled our reservation for dinner at the fancy Italian restaurant the next night because we needed to get going to avoid a storm coming in later in the week.

The ferry at Liberty Landing

We traveled fast on Tuesday all the way to Liberty Landing. Originally we wanted to anchor out for a few days behind the Statue of Liberty. We even figured out the right spot. In the end, we needed fuel and a pump out so we just pulled in to the marina and paid the high fee. 

Never just follow the magenta line.
We got surprised by the
shallow water along the shore. Go figure!

While Kermit handled the pumpout and all, I walked to a mall about 2 miles away to purchase a new hot spot. Remember how I always say that with a computer, a phone and a hotspot I can be in business? Well we lost the hotspot. I am not sure where. Probably in the last rental car or hotel but neither group could find it. So we have a new one. 

Morning in NY Harbor - see the Statue of Liberty
in the distance?

Staten Island Ferry in the AM

On the walk back in the twilight it was fun to look in the windows in Jersey City to see how the other half lives. Moms and Dads with little kids, folks in little shops and restaurants, walking home from a long day at work. 

We left NYC on Wednesday October 19. It was a beautiful day for a ride to Atlantic City. We traveled fast and pulled into Atlantic City at about 4pm.

Along the way in the ocean about 3 miles away from shore we saw a HUGE shark! It was definitely a shark because it swam smoothly on the top of the water with a very big fin that stuck out of the water. It was white and very big. We think it was a Great White Shark because we heard that music from jaws. Unfortunately all pictures of the shark look like water. You will just have to take my word on it!!

Check out the big plastic pieces that came out of the Racor
filters!

The view from Kemmerman's Marina in Atlantic City

This time we stayed at Kemmerman’s Marina, a tiny family-owned marina with a personal touch. Chris, the owner, recommended a mechanic to look at the fuel system again. This guy was really good. He cleaned out the Raycor gauge itself, finding loads of little bits of plastic and crud. We can’t travel on the ocean if we cannot depend on the fuel system to do its job. We felt a lot more confident after that mechanic worked on the boat on Thursday morning. 

We left Atlantic City around 10am on Thursday October 20. The ocean was calm again, better than the previous day. We traveled fast.

We were watching a storm system coming in over the weekend so we wanted to position ourselves in the Chesapeake Bay in safety before the storms arrived. Plus I had to go back to Ohio for 3 days so we needed a place where we could get a rental car. That meant we were either targeting Cape May NJ if we traveled slow on the ocean or Baltimore if we traveled fast.

We opted to travel fast!

We passed Cape May in good water so we decided to turn the corner and take on Delaware Bay. It was a dream! Completely different than the very rough experience we had in 2013 traveling in the other direction. We arrived at the top of Delaware Bay and we had another decision to make. We turned the corner and took on the C&D Canal as the traveling day was ending. We pulled into a marina in Chesapeake City as the sun was going down. We were exhausted. Dinner in the local restaurant was delicious. 

Chesapeake City

Friday we left early. A big sailboat was bouncing around in front of where we were tied up. Evidently he was a traveler and couldn’t figure out where the safe water was to leave the marina. So led him out, announcing the depths as we went. He followed safely then we lost sight of him. 

Tidewater Marine - here is that storm we were running from

Maryland pilot in the Baltimore harbor

That is how we managed to pull into Baltimore Harbor on Friday, October 21 for a week. Baltimore is a seafaring town. We have all heard about the beautiful Inner Harbor and the contrasting devastated neighborhoods further out that tourists never see.

It costs about $750 per week (about $100 per day) to stay in one of the beautiful marinas in the Inner Harbor. That is way too expensive. That is Chicago rates.

At the Bacon Bourbon and Beer festival

We found a marina off of Fells Point / Covington called Tidewater Marine Services that charged us $315 for a week!! And it is a gorgeous marina. The bathrooms are sparkling clean and modern. The boaters gathering area is beautifully  manicured with a brand new Weber gas grill that we used frequently. All together a wonderful experience. Plus they have a courtesy car – a brand new BMW that they let anyone use and we did.

A bourbon sampler fit for a king!!

We went grocery shopping and did a little touring in the Inner Harbor. We went to a Bacon, Bourbon and Beer festival that I kind of remember as being a lot of fun!!

We stayed 8 days in all, leaving today, Saturday October 29. We plan to go halfway down the Chesapeake and get to Cavalier Golf and Marina tomorrow for a few days or maybe a week. More on that later!!