Travel Tips

This page starts two different trips that we took in 2000 after we were both retired.

In August, we took our second trip north up the Chesapeake Bay.

August 15th - moving onto the boat
August 16th - sailing to Cove Point and the start of
August 17th are here. To contine click on the Oxford link.

In November, we took our first trip down the ICW. To continue with that trip click on the last link (Mill Creek)

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Sailboat by Point No Point

August 15th Start of 2000 cruise up the Chesapeake

Slept on the boat to get an early start because we want to get to Oxford by the 17th. Bob rushed me off after I cut the lawn and I left my boat keys. He left the bag of non-perishables (equal, salad dressing etc). Oh well. We ran the a/c refrigeration, and were hooked to shore power all night.

Before I left, I set up Pocketmail to forward from mindspring and aol, and I downloaded messages using my own phone without a problem. At the marina, the ATT phone is always on the edge (extended area), and I can't use it anyway because it is digital. I took my old Bell Atlantic (now Verizon) car phone, and can connect with that. However, even it was having trouble down in Smith Creek at the marina.

Bob said it would be better at night, so I got up about 1 am and sat out on a bench in front of the bathrooms (because dialing the phone is noisy and I can't figure out how to quiet it) and managed to get a complete download. The problem it was having was that there was an indigestible number of long spam messages from somewhere, plus people replying angrily (reply all) to the spam, which also went to everyone on the list. Sent a block filter to pocketmail.

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Sailboat passing Point No Point

August 16th, 2000

This morning we got fuel (8 gals) to top off the tanks, and a bag of ice. We put up the main and staysail before we were out of Smith Creek, as he is wont to do, but this time it made sense. Sailed out to the bay in 15 knots. Rounded Pt Lookout and it dropped to 6. The autopilot handles it wonderfully tho and I can look around and even take pictures without being white-knuckle-focused on the wind direction. Also we can both concentrate on swatting flies. He discovered that the wind vane switch was labeled wrong, and it had been turned off all this time.

Bob built a nice box for the computer, but the power outlet that he put in didn't work. Discovered extra screws packed in the socket which made a short. Worked fine after that. With the autopilot on, he can leave me on 'watch' and work on stuff and he doesn't have to yell at me for not paying attention to my steering. I will say, if we'd had an autopilot at the beginning, I never would have learned to steer even as well as I now can.

The Navy was using the target off Pt No Pt (or as a British gent who called the CG called it "Your No Point Point, or Point Pointless or whatever it is"). He wanted to know if his course was OK, but since he was talking to the Balto. CG, they didn't have a clue.

As we passed Point No Point, the wind picked up and we were 'racing' another sailboat. He had a big headsail (unlike our little Yankee jib) and was really heeled over. I tried to see how far we were heeled by looking over the side to see how much of the bottom paint showed, but couldn't do it - Bob said I would fall in.

As we approached the targets, we called the range boat, and asked if we were OK, and we were. The other boat dropped behind us after the radio exchange Saw a couple of helicopters there - usually we see jets.

Thro binoculars, saw them put 3 men on the Point No Point lighthouse from a little boat maybe 20 feet long. The men looked like dollhouse figures on an out of scale boat - they looked much too big for the boat. They were about 1/2 to 1/3rd as tall as the boat was long. There were four on the bow, and one would leapt for the ladder and then a second one and you could see them attain the platform level, and then after another approach, a third one was on the ladder. The 4th one didn't go. Too far away for pictures unfortunately.

When we got to Cedar Pt. the wind changed. Note to self: Avoid Cedar Pt. The wind either drops to nothing, shifts 180 deg or increases drastically, or all of the above. When you listen to NOAA weather (or look at the Weather Channel), Cedar Pt is often opposite everyone else. I used to think maybe they read the vane wrong, but no - it really is different right there.

Wind picked up to 20 knots on the nose gusting to 28, and it got very noisy (Bob has the solar panels rigged to run fans in the cabin if the batteries are full, and they were, so we had the wind vane going crazy and the fans in the cabin whirring their little blades off.) Furled the sails and motored. Went past Little Cove Point and anchored inside (south) of Cove Pt. close to shore. Discovered why no one anchors here. Very rolly - up to 20 deg roll (15 deg one way and 5 deg the other) from the wakes of passing barges and freighters. However it got quieter and we were well protected from the North wind.

Total time underway 8 hours. Total engine use time 3.5 hours.

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Cove Point from the 'anchorage'

Thursday Aug 17th, 2000

The wind vane kept us company whirring all night. It can keep up when we use the TV and antenna. I also was able to pick up Pocketmail here with no trouble on the car phone, and easily use the Nokia ATT phone to call our daughter and report in.

Something, I don't know what, woke me up about 2 am. Went up into cockpit but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but smelled something funny. Dozed, and then quietly asked Bob if he were asleep. The second time I asked he answered, and I made him go check on the windvane to see if the batteries were OK. He said they were.

Tried to write on the laptop, but only the keys in the middle of the keyboard work. Went back to sleep about 4.

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Bob working on deck through the dodger

Leaving anchorage August 17th

Something banged about 7 and woke me - it was Bob. Had a nice shower, and Bob cooked bacon and eggs. He said the turkey bacon doesn't have enough fat to cook on the stove - only good in the microwave. Called Rob (today is his day off) to tell him where we were and that we wouldn't be home, and then put the phone on charge. Cleaned up the boat, pulled the anchor and got underway about 9.

Next: Oxford

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Starting out

November 1, 2000 - Start of the ICW trip

We moved on the boat yesterday, and I took the car back home (filled it with fuel first) to reorganize myself after we took most stuff down to the boat after Bob drained the water from the house and put antifreeze in the toilets. Called and found the SCUBA tanks had been hydroed and could be picked up, but Bob had already left the marina with the marina truck. Meant to clean out the refrigerator, but I got a call from the place I'd ordered an Xmas present for a grandson and my card had been refused. Finally got ahold of the credit card co, and they had new software that was screwing up. They couldn't tell me how many or who had been refused. I was pretty disgusted. Got the tanks and picked up sandwiches from Wendys. Bob found the refrigeration wasn't working, so he bought block ice and cubes (instead of fixing it). He also found the new VHF won't even transmit as far as the marina office. We got topped off with fuel, and then sailed out to the mouth of the Potomac.

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Pound nets with bald eagle

First anchorage of the ICW 2000 trip

Unfortunately then the wind dropped and we had to motor the rest of the way. We go into the Great Wicomico and anchor in Mill Creek by 4:30 after 33 nm at 5 knots

When we anchored here the first time, we saw a bald eagle sitting on a nearby fishtrap. (Photo is blurred - you'll have to take my word for it). The fish traps are properly known as pound nets.

The next leg of the trip is Mill Creek (the second of the two reports)