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As I stare out the window, I am enjoying the view of lovely red cliffs framed by lush green foliage as I am cuddled in, toasty warm on the boat. Thanks to our diesel heater. Which we have had to turn on a number of times the last week. Because it is COLD!!! Well ok, maybe not cold in terms of Port Dover temps, but in relation to our last year, it feels like it could snow any moment!! Ha ha.
We have seen the temperature go down to 56F some nights. Which doesn’t seem so bad, until you consider we are sleeping in a steel boat. It gets chilly; especially in the mornings. It reminds me of my childhood, camping in the mountains; stuffing all your clothes in your bed to warm them up and wiggling your body into them before you have to throw off the covers!
But at least we have a heater and when we are moving, we get to stay in the pilot house. Friends of ours on sailboats are stuck out in the elements all day while traveling; not too enjoyable on these damp, rainy, gloomy days. Right now, we have jacked the
All Sorts of Wildlife
Who knew they had giraffes in Virginia?? heat up to 80F and, despite the chill in the air, Lukus is wheeling with no shirt on.
Over the past week, the weather seems to be in a playful mood, toying with us. Earlier last week, we saw record breaking highs of 94F; a sweltering temperature when you are on an enclosed river system on a boat. Probably the one and only time we actually wished we had some air conditioning, or at least some ice!! Since then, however, we have seen cold fronts move in, a lot of clouds, rain and thunderstorms. We have ended up hanging out in a few spots along our journey up Chesapeake Bay waiting out forecasted storms (although we have been fortunate to have most of them pass us by).
During the heatwave, we ended up at a free dock in the city of Chesapeake, Virginia, just before the Great Bridge and Great Bridge Lock which only opens once an hour. Although it was early in the day, instead of waiting to push through the bridge, we decided to take a break, stretch our legs, and try to cool down. Well, we were successful with the first two…ha ha.
The
Pink Palace
Although not my fav color, this house was just too cute for words! dock was in a great location right beside a beautiful park space with wooded trails and within biking distance to an all-you-can-eat sushi place (been a long time since we have found one of those…yum. AND they had
air conditioning!!) and grocery store. Later in the day, food trucks began pulling into the park area. Turns out every first and third Wednesday, the city hosts “Food Truck Hump Days” featuring children’s activities, kayak demonstrations, and an array of local food trucks. Everything from BBQ to Cuban sandwiches and Korean burritos(??) to handmade ice cream sandwiches. Like a giant traveling food court but kicked up a gourmet notch!
From Chesapeake, we left the river system, passing Norfolk, VA and cruised on into Chesapeake Bay. A lot of open water again, meaning less traffic and deeper waters, but back to paying closer attention to winds and waves. Fortunately, despite a few storm warnings and small craft advisory’s, we have had smooth cruising; haven’t seen anything more than one or two foot waves, and the odd thunderstorm.
Depending on the winds, we have crossed from one side of the bay to the other. Last weekend, we stuck to the west coast,
Boats, boats, boats
We see so many different boats on this trip (surprise, surprise...lol). stopping for a couple days at anchor in Reedville, VA. Reedville is a lovely little area around a bay that is shaped like a hand with fingers of streams spreading out in every direction. It is a historic fishing village, founded in the late 1800’s with a thriving fish industry still at it’s core. However, this brings me to a small warning to anyone who may be boating in this area and stops here…it can be stinky!! Sorry, no other polite way to say it. They have a fish plant there, and if the winds are blowing in the wrong direction, phewee!! Fortunately, we didn’t have the smell linger too long, a little storm brought along not only lightning but winds out of the west, sweeping out the odor.
After a couple nights in Reedville, we had plans to head north and find a marina to fill our water and fuel tanks, and get some provisions. But as we headed out Monday, the look of the sky combined with the gloomy forecast prompted us to head for a marina close by at Ingram Bay. We are glad we stopped there. While maybe not in everyone’s taste (definitely not a
Big Boats
Going through Norfolk, VA we passed a lot of ships. You feel pretty small when you are next to one of these monsters! lot of action going on), the quiet, laid-back marina was perfect for us. The owners, Mary and Billy (once we found them…)were amazing, lending us their work truck to go into town 12 miles away and telling us about the area and where we might want to stop. Other than them and a couple of their young employees, the only people we saw were a few fishermen coming into or leaving the marina. We basically had the run of the place to ourselves. Perfect for our penchant for lounging in underwear!
After leaving the marina on Monday, we have been anchored out each night again. Because of winds, we crossed the bay to the east side, making our way up the bay. Our hook has dropped near Oxford, Rock Hall and in the Bohemia River along the way, although we haven’t ventured onto land in any of those areas. However, after a long day of the hum of a running engine, there is a peace in floating out in the middle of the water, watching the fish jump, listening to the birds and soaking in the forested vistas.
Last night we finally had a storm pass over us
for the first time in a while. Until now, most of them seem to skirt around us, but not this time. The peaceful stillness – the calm before the storm - was suddenly interrupted by wind gales whipping up walls of water. But, there is something cozy and a little thrilling to be out on a boat while lightning, thunder and pounding rain surround you (as long as you don’t touch anything steel!!). The varying sounds of rain against metal, glass and the surrounding water’s surface combine to create a symphony of pings and tangs accompanied by the bass line of thunder rolls.
This morning we traveled through the C&D Canal that took us into the Delaware Bay. Our plans are to traverse the bay tomorrow, taking us into Cape May. Fellow boater friends of ours (you may remember Jack and Andrew from previous posts) are there right now, and we are hoping to maybe catch them in the next few days. It has been a while since we have seen them (last November), so it will be lovely to see them.
Well, we have just set hook, and what started out as a sunny day has clouded
over and the winds have picked up. So, we are going to hunker down, get some work done, relax and enjoy our waterfront view.
Abigail Out.
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