May 7, 2016

IndiaJayne departed Waterfront Marina, Norfolk, VA on May 7. Traveled the lower Chesapeake Bay for several days visiting Cape Charles and Yorktown. 

During that time I had flown home to attend my daughter's wedding shower while our friend, Bo Boat, flew in from Seattle to do some navigating and visit with Kit. I got back to the boat when she was in Deltaville, VA.

Bo and Kit
Are they kind of wanting to relive their Fraternity Days?

My daughter, Andrea, and I at her Bridal Shower.

We were prepared for this shower. There's Andrea and our soon to be daughter in law, Nikki.

Deltaville Yacht Center

Morning light

Such a still day, heavy with humidity

Same day

Laid back Deltaville

Ahhh, evening.....

Captian's brekkie

April 16, 2016

DYAD

Windy weather kept us on anchor in Enterprise Oxbow for two nights.  The large aluminum catamaran, Dyad, stayed anchored next to us.  It seemed a bit ominous. 
We dinghied around  the area, visiting Osprey Marina nearby.  Then we made our way to Southport, NC. We passed by all the Myrtle Beach areas (south, middle, north)  and a few turbulent inlets from the Atlantic Ocean. Lockwood's Folly was the most blustery. The channel markers look askew and off station, but mariners need to follow them closely, veering close to shore, to avoid going aground as many reportedly do. Navigators must stay alert.

Navigator on duty

Cape Fear River is just north of Southport. This area has what is said to be the largest Military weapons station in the world for shipping and transporting weapons by rail, truck and sea. It is patrolled and restricted and it really looked like they meant it. We gave them as wide a berth as possible.

Osprey

We also spent a night on anchor in Hammock Bay which is owned by the Marine Corp's Camp Lejeune. No dinghy dock available here. This is where the Marines often conduct live fire training. The ICW can be closed for hours with very little, if any, advance notice. It was closing as we passed through on our way north the next morning. We made it by the Onslow Beach  Bridge at the last minute before it shut down for the day. 

April 27, 2016

Arrived in Norfolk, VA to be part of the American Great Loop Circle Route Spring Rendezvous. There were over 70 Looper boats there.

Greeted by a Waterside Marina Mermaid.

The IndiaJayne with a few other Looper boats.

Waterside Marina, Norfolk, VA.

Eating lunch with Kevin and Sandy Tucker

One of the many railroad bridges that open for boats to pass

Norfolk is a very large Naval city

Repairs going on at Navy Shipyards all around Norfolk

Lots of Security patrolling the area

Waterside Marina, Norfolk as we are arriving

Riding on the Tucker's Mainship from their home in Virginia Beach to Norfolk

Another view of Waterside as we were leaving

April 24, 2016


It's been so long since we have been able to update this record of our journey that, I fear, if I try to stay in chronological order I will be unable to proceed at all. Sooo....what follows here will be some pictures of places we have visited and people we have met but not exactly in the order it all happened.

After leaving Elizabeth City, NC we had to wait for the lock to open so we could head into the dreaded Dismal Swamp.

Here we are just entering the Dismal Swamp Lock northbound.

Friend Sandy Tucker, expert line handler, joined us for the transit

The Great Dismal Swamp, once over 1,000,000,000 acres, now about 112,000 acres, is a beautiful wildlife refuge but is also a canal between Elizabeth City, N.C. and Norfolk, VA.

The northbound lock as we ascended upward about 15 ft.

Arriving at the 150 ft. Visitor Center dock. It's about 3 hours past the south lock.

As you leave the Visitor's Center you enter into Virginia.

Room for 3 boats overnight on the Visitor Dock.

Very calm in the Dismal Swamp. We saw so many turtles sunning on logs, jumping fish, song birds and birds of prey, water snakes, muskrats, dragonflies and butterflies.

Sandy, happy to be there.

Lock on the northern end of the Dismal Swamp Canal. Waiting to descend.

Sailboat behind us in the Lock as we descend.

Do you see me up on the bow? I am making sure our line does not get hung up as we descend. I have my knife close at hand!

Traffic sign

Lockmaster's office on the edge of the Lock.

April 14, 2016

We left Georgetown, SC and headed north on the AICW (Atlantic Intra-Coastal Waterway) toward Myrtle Beach, SC. We traveled about 50 miles and decided to anchor out in a turn out along the waterway, Enterprise Oxbow, as Osprey Marina looked too tight for us.

After a while a big, metal, bulletproof looking Catamaran named Dyad dropped anchor. It had a kind of menacing appearance but we had no contact with the crew.

Waccamaw River

Cypress forest behind our anchoage.

Enterprise Oxbow anchorage on the Waccamaw River.



Dyad anchored near us.

Dropping the dinghy for an evening tour.

4-12-2016

Headed to Georgetown in South Carolina, one of the oldest cities in the lowlands. In fact, maybe one of the oldest in the US. It had a huge role in the economy of the pre civil war south. At one point, the major cash crop was rice which was grown in the marshy swamp land that was cleared and cultivated with slave labor. Fascinating but macabre history, in my opinion.

We stayed at DryStack Marina next to the shrimp boats and working docks. We were the only "pleasure boat" tied up there.

Coming up from the dock we found ourselves in a beautiful, old neighborhood of stately southern homes.

A short walk to town we visited the Rice Museum and the History Museum. Unfortunately, the Gullah Museum, which is what I really wanted to see, was closed as in vacant, gone.

We met up with Paula and Tom Vail from Life's TraVail's for dinner and then ran into Gail and Jeff from Yolo. It rained while we were in the restaurant but looked good when we walked outside.