Goodbye Ditch, Hello Chesapeake Bay

We are finally out of the Atlantic ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) commonly referred to as the 'ditch' . It is nearly 1100 miles from Portsmouth, VA to Miami and we are glad to be through it. The ICW is good and bad...it provides protected water travel except for a few open sounds and bays but you have to pay constant attention at the helm due to a multitude of shallow spots and shifting shoals as well as several places where the current runs through narrow cuts connecting sections of the ICW.  The names of the various places and waterways tells the story.....Cape Fear, Lockwoods Folly, and Hell's Gate for example. 

We spent four days in Portsmouth, VA one extra than we had planned due to bad weather. We are now on the Chesapeake Bay in Irvington, VA at the Tides Inn Marina. Portsmouth was great stop as we visited Norfolk and met up with Greg and Judy Edwards who we met in Naples, Fl. They live in Newport News and met us in Smithfield, VA at Smithfield Station for dinner. Smithfield is home to Smithfield Hams. We will be here in Irvington for 2 days as it is a great little spot to walk, bike , and kayak (Carolyns VA spot). All of the pics are from Irvington and include Christs Church (circa 1735) and the White Fences Winery.  We have now travled over 2600 miles since leaving home and have about that much more to go. We plan to visit 4-5 spots on the Chesapeake before heading to the Delaware Bay, Cape May and on to New York City. The Chesapeake is a great boating bay with plenty of water and lots of neat stops and anchorages. We are now back into plotting courses every day and watching the weather as a lot of the bay is subject to wind and can get nasty quickly.

Later..Be safe!

Birthdays and Learning to Swim the Fast Way

OK, folks I have a lot of stuff to inform those readers who want the 'real story' from time to time. We left Morehead City, NC and traveled a long day to stay on the hook ( I am getting this lingo down) near the entrance to the Alligator River/Pungo River Canal. We went through some big waters including Neuse River and Pamlico Sound which for about 2 hours we were rocking and rolling and I DID NOT LIKE IT AT ALL. Big ol waves and lots of pounding and things falling down everywhere.....don't think Mom and Dad liked it either. Dad kept saying something about how somebody sure missed the wind and wave predictions. Next day we made another long day crossing the Albemarle Sound to Coinjock, NC to a neat marina where I could walk right by the boat.....also it was my Dad's birthday and Mom had some stuff for him and they ate a 32 ounce prime rib....and get this....brought NONE back to me!!

Now here is the exciting part.....my Mom has this deal where she is kayaking in every state we are in and this was the last stop in NC and Mom had to get the kayak in the dirty brown water and as usual wanted me to go along. Now I have been on the kayak and few times and like it and don't mind the life jacket too bad. After doing some exploring up a few little creeks and other neat places we stopped at a boat in another marina close to ours for a short visit with some folks from Texas who are doing this same trip we are. Mom was talking to them and next thing I know I am under the water and in the dark under the kayak all alone! Mom had flipped the thing over somehow sitting by the boat and then turned the kayak up and got me by the life jacket and put me up on the boat....it was wet, salty, and cold!. Anyway it was a big deal for me and good thing I had on the goofy looking life jacket. We got back on the kayak and headed back to our boat. Well , guess what? Next thing I know is over we go again!! Well, by then I had had enough and let Mom know it. She got all wet too and we got back to our boat and told Dad all about it....I barked at Mom all night to let here know not to do that again. Not sure I will go with her next time...matter of fact I think I will chew up the life jacket and that will be the end of it.

Yesterday we were supposed to have an easy day going about 50 miles (we had traveled about 75 miles each of the last two days) and get in early....not to be as we sat in a lock (first lock we had seen since the Tom Bigbe Waterway) for over 2 hours waiting on the lock guys to get something dislodged from the gate before we could get out. Then there were lots of bridges we had to wait on to open and wound up just idling around with lots of other boats near the bridge...made Dad nervous. Anyway, we got in here at Portsmouth, VA yesterday for a couple of days and I know today is special because it is my birthday....a whole year old!! I know Mom and Dad will do something special for me...if not I will let you and them know about it. Lots of big Navy ships.....Mom and Dad left me in Condo today to visit Norfolk and a big Battleship.

Over and out for now....bark more, growl more!!

Rendevous, Back Home, and North Carolina

We left Charleston on April 23 and stopped in Georgetown, SC for one night and then on to North Myrtle Beach, SC for the Looper Rendevous. Rendevous was great and we met a lot of new loopers and had great sessions from speakers describing the next portion of our trip all the way to the Tn river. After the rendevous we rented a car and traveled back to Tn for a week. We got to see family and friends and Jamey flew in from Houston to visit for a couple of days as well. Water was up on Tn river by @ 17 feet and we lost the flagpole on our dock at home when a huge tree took it under. It was good to be back home for a few days.

We returned to Here and Now and departed on 5/9 to Southport, NC then to Surf City, NC and now we are in Morehead City, NC at ICW MM 205. Weather has been a little windy and cool but we have traveled around 50-60 miles a day and will be here 2 days and then plan to make Norfolk by this weekend. We had a few skinny spots along the way.....but did not touch bottom as a number of other boats have through this stretch of the waterway. Along the way we saw the US Marines as we passed Camp LeJune doing drills and the Navy jets strafing old targets...lots of noise. It was neat seeing these young folks doing their jobs and training to serve our country.

We are doing a lot planning for the next few weeks as we will be exploring the Cheasepeake Bay and have to pick our stops as there is just too much to see for the time we have to spend there. We are now in a move mode and travel 4-6 days per week. We are looping though and are not schedule driven on a day to day basis...just have to keep the big loop picture in mind and make sure we get out of the north before cold weather sets in.   Later....a few more pics......

South Carolina Low Country and Blue Angels

We are now moving along at a good pace. We left Savannah, Ga on 4/18 and traveled 51 miles to an anchorage in Church Creek,SC about 22 miles south of Charleston. We could not get into our marina until Sunday and had to get there before 1 PM because they were closing Charleston Harbor due to the Blue Angels performing Sunday afternoon. So we anchored out Saturday night in a great little spot with 7-8 other boats so we could make into Charleston early the next day. See anchorage pics....who is that long-haired guy? We left next moring at 7:15 am and arrived at the Charleston Maritime Center at 10:30 am. Winds picked up as we traveled and were really rocking and rolling as we came into the marina but got in OK. Donna Pence flew into Charleston and met us in time to see the Blue Angels perform...we had a front row seat from out boat in the marina!! It was a great show .....I am amazed at what these guys do in the jets flying in close formation and doing all kind of zigs and zags and meeting each other and then flipping upside down to avoid hitting each other.

Today we went to see Fort Sumter today and took a tour of Charleston on a horse drawn carriage...really neat town. I leave for Houston tomorrow to visit with Jamey and then back on Thursday to prepare to head to North Myrtle Beach, SC for the AGLCA rendevous starting this weekend. We have now traveled over 2000 miles and been in 6 states on our great adventure. We will take a break after the rendevous and head back to Tennessee for a week before moving into North Carolina.

Dog Country...Finally

Well, I am finally back again and happy to report that we are in Dog country....Georgia Bulldog country that is. We finally got out of Florida at least that's what Mom says. Since I last got to do an update a lot has passed. Mom got a new little pink boat to paddle around in and I get to go with her once in a while. Good thing I didn't go last time because she turned over in alligator infested waters and I think a gator might have a liking for a little Westie. We left St. Augustine, Fl. and as Dad says 'stayed on the hook' off of Cumberland Island , Ga where the horses run wild....boy I envy them! We are now in Savannah, Ga and I met a new friend (a little Pug) named Savannah as well...we had lots of fun running free and wild (without the durn leash!) on the dock. On the way up things got a little rough a couple of times going through some 'sounds' and Dad got real intense going through some place called 'Hell Gate' at low tide. He was going crazy at the helm holloring something about the depth finder reading zero...but we made it without any big problems. Mom had a big time going through St. Andrews sound when we had 6-8 foot seas and water over the top of the boat...what a ride Dad and I said! Not really, because I don't eat or drink much when we are moving. We stopped in a place called Jekyll Island before Savannah and got fuel and met some new friends. Thats where Mom flipped in her new kayak and lost some shoes but made it back OK without any gator bites. Mom fixed a nice Easter dinner on her new plates and as you can see in the pic I am under the table NOT on the table during a family holiday...what a bummer!

Uncle Bill and Aunt Charlotte came and visited us a couple of days and I like to have company to check them out and they really like to play with me. Mom and Dad and them went to Savannah and toured the town and then went today to Hilton Head and LEFT me in the big pen they call a condo for some reason...guess they think it sounds better than just leaving me couped up all day in a cage. I can't complain because Dad or Mom walk me a long way when we get into a marina and I like that. My life on the boat is going OK...I am getting used to the moving and just chill out and try to sleep while we are underway. I also got some new toys and a little toy that Mom puts treats or peanut butter in and I really have to work to get it out..but its worth it!

Tomorrow we leave for Beaufort, South Carolina and then on to Charleston. We will be in Charleston for several days which is good for me....Dad is leaving to go to Houston to see Jamey and watch some baseball games. Anyway, that about it...you can see some of my recent pics.

Remember, bark more, growl more.

, Spring Break and beyond....

This trip has been wonderful for lots of reasons, one of which is that you get to share it with family and friends. We so enjoyed Susan and Matt spending their spring break with us in Ft. Lauderdale. Between the morning walks with Susie, great food, a little birthday shopping, pool days, and of course the beautiful beach we had a memoriable visit. After leaving Ft. Lauderdale on March 30th we traveled about 60 miles and anchored in a little cove behind some homes in North Palm Beach and the next day we went 68 miles and docked at Jones Fruit Dock. The movie Deliverance comes to mind when I reflect on it... but it was only for a night so Willi and I made it ok. Steve washed the boat with black slug which caused lots of extra work when we arrived at Cocoa Beach the next afternoon... Traveling on the ICW from Miami until now has been quite the experience being in the backyards of all the highrises and beautiful homes. And with Steve driving the boat with NO Wake, we almost made friends with the residents. : ) Cocoa Village was a quaint place with great restrurants and some beautiful shops. One of those, Pacita's, had a large metal rabbit that the Easter Bunny purchased and sent to Maison Rouge... He will be named Cocoa and will look great on the kitchen island bringing a smile remembering that part of this adventure. Whether we ride our bikes, rent a car, or walk to worship, each time has been up-lifting (exception of once, Ft. Myers.. went back to the 50's). Easter Sunday was no exception. Another neat thing is, all along the way we have met up with our neighbors from TN on Simple Interest. Diane is always so gracious and fixes some on our best meals. We have been able to share our adventure in detail with them because of their travels taking them the same route 2 years ago. Van has given Steve lots of useful advice and we appreciate it all. What do you do without friends??? A highlight of the east coast of Florida was watching the last of the night lift-offs of the space shuttle on April 5th. We were about 12 miles away and were amazed to see the fire as the shuttle lifted from the ground. Even at that distance you felt the rumbling shake and heard the delay of sound as it moved up and out of sight in about 3 minutes. I can only imagine what the astronuts experience as they leave the ground traveling at 5 miles a second, around 17,000 miles an hour.

We left Cocoa around 7:30 that Monday morning traveling north on the ICW toward Georgia.We saw some manatees in Haulover Canal after leaving Cocoa.  Our next stop was New Smyrna Beach for a night and to get provisions. Tonight we are at Palm Coast Marina just south of St. Augustine. The next few ports will be one night stops until we reach St. Marys, GA. I wish our pictures could show how beautiful the different areas are. Maybe you get some idea anyway.... Thanks for your interest in our great adventure... love and happiness to all. Admiral Carolyn