Depart: Delaware City 9:55 a.m.
Arrive: Dobbins Island Anchorage on Magothy River 4:15 p.m.
Distance: ~59 NM
We left the dock at Delaware City Marina at 9:15 and stopped at the fuel dock before continuing our travels. At 10 gallons per minute pumping time, we knew we would be there a while to collect our 300 gallons of diesel fuel. We finally left the marina at 9:55 several gallons heavier and many dollars lighter!
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| Delaware City Marina Delaware City, DE |
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| Delaware City, DE |
Our travels took us along the C&D Canal to the Chesapeake Bay.
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| Priate Ship on the C&D Canal |
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| Chesapeake Inn Chesapeake City |
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| Lighthouse -- C&D Canal |
We decided to do more anchoring on this trip. Clark found a lovely secluded spot between two islands - Dobbins Island and Little Island on he Magothy River.
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| Lighthouse on Little Island in the Magothy River |
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| View of Anchorage in Maghothy River Dobbins Island on Right / Little Island on Left |
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| Sunset at Dobbins Island Anchorage |
Thursday 11/2/2017
Depart: Dobbins Island Anchorage 9:30
Arrive: Liberty Yacht Club, South River, Annapolis 12:00
Distance: 17 NM
We needed to get our air conditioner / heater for the master stateroom fixed as every night we shivered as we climbed between frigid sheets. Our troubleshooting revealed that we needed a new controller board, and we found a place in Annapolis where we could acquire one. Comparing dock rates to Uber / Lyft fares, we decided to stay at the Liberty Yacht Club & Marina on the South River near Annapolis, MD.
On our way to our stop for the night, we saw a container ship coming our way and decided to stay well out of its way. A woman piloted the ship, which is not commonly found. We heard her call out warnings over the radio multiple times that she would be passing under the bridge heading northward. As we carried along on our way, we heard an interesting exchange over the radio between the ship and a sailboat.
The woman pilot called to the sailboat to advise him that she was coming through and verify that he would be staying out of her way. In response, the sailboat, Top of the Morning, replied, "You'll be outside of the green near me, right?" To which, she responded, "Captain, I won't be outside of anything! I am a container ship with a 150 foot beam, and I will be taking the entire channel." Surprisingly, instead of staying put, the sailboat then proceeded to pass in front of the ship to cross to the other side of the channel. After the ship passed, he crossed back over behind the ship to the other side again. Either he was incredibly dim or he had a death wish, I know not which!
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| Ever Lucky Container Ship versus Top of the Morning Sailboat (look closely to compare sizes) |
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| Top of the Morning Sailboat passing behind container ship |
Well, that was entertaining!
As we passed under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Clark decided to capture some pictures of the bridge structure.
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| Passing under Chesapeake Bay Bridge |
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| Chesapeake Bay Bridge |
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| Typical Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse |
We arrived at the marina just about noon, had lunch, and called for Lyft to give us a ride to the parts store for the air conditioner control board. The driver was incredibly nice and agreed to wait for us while we picked up the part. Then since I was inquiring about how far we needed to go for groceries, he agreed to stop at Whole Foods and wait while I picked up a few essentials. Really nice guy!
As soon as we got back to the boat, Clark was down in one of the hatches replacing the board. He did not seem to require my help, so I sat in the salon reading. Some number of hours later, the sun had set, we had a working air conditioner, and I had enjoyed a lengthy nap. Because we now had heat, the weather warmed up enough that we did not need to use it!
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| Sunset at Liberty Yacht Club Marina |
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| Full Moon South River near Annapolis, MD |
Friday 11/3/2017
Depart: Annapolis 8:30
Arrive: Mill Creek #1 Anchorage 5:30
Distance: ~ 79 NM
Clark is desperately seeking warmer weather, so we are moving longer than usual (for us) distances. We spent a long and tedious day on the water with very little in the way of interesting sites. On occasion a rogue crab trap would appear in our path just to liven up our trip.
Expecting we might get some strong winds overnight, Clark found a well-protected and beautiful anchorage tucked back on Mill Creek off the Great Wicomico River. Anchorage in this secluded residential area provided no WiFi, no Over-the-Air TV, and no cell service! Talk about remote!
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| Mill Creek Anchorage |
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| Sunset at Mill Creek Anchorage |
Saturday 11/4/2017
Depart: Mill Creek Anchorage #1 9:20
Arrive: Hampton, VA Anchorage #2 4:20
Distance: ~60 NM
We had to follow the channel carefully and watch out for fish traps as we left our pretty anchorage. After that we followed waypoints Clark had set up on the chart with over 20 NM between each one. Talk about boring! The only entertainment I found was the action of the boat on the following seas. I love the sensation of the boat being picked up and carried on the waves. As I watched, I could see our speed increase from 9.6 knots to 10.3 knots as we were carried and then the speed would drop back down after the wave set us down again. Meanwhile the autopilot went nuts trying to compensate for the wave action.
To relieve some of the tedium, Clark turned on the radio, so we had music to help pass the time. As we approached Hampton, Virginia, we suddenly found ourselves in the midst of a bunch of sailboats all heading into port. I was surprised because I had seen nothing and Clark suddenly commented on the boats and there they were! Sailboats galore and all with the right of way!
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| Multitude of Small Sailboats Coming into Hampton, VA |
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| Sailboats Galore! |
As we passed Hampton University, they sailboats started to drop their sales and pull into the docks nearby. Looking over at the University, we could see stadium lights shining brightly in the distance and hear the band playing for, I imagine, a Saturday afternoon football game.
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| Hampton University |
We had three choices for a place to stay. The Hampton town docks where we stayed in April with Jeff and Devon, an anchorage directly across from the town docks, or one a little further on under a 29 foot fixed bridge. We found the first anchorage a little busy. Given the fixed bridge height, we could slip under to anchor on the far side and have an anchorage to ourselves.
The past two mornings we have found ourselves with a low battery situation, so Clark investigated the health of our house battery bank after we settled in at the anchorage. He did not find any apparent problems to address the situation.
Tomorrow we head on to the ICW - Virginia Cut to continue our voyage. The Dismal Swamp is choked with grass / weeds and not recommended for passage.
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