October 2013

It’s Thursday morning, the sun is just peaking over the horizon and it’s Halloween. Speaking of Halloween, it seems a bit odd to me, as it did last year, to be aboard for a holiday that is largely ignored by the sailing community.  In years gone by, this holiday was a big deal for us and our boys.  Now, hardly a ripple.  Times change.

However, for some it seems, dressing up in costume is a big part of their lives and Halloween is just one more excuse to head into overdrive and really dress up.  I heard that after Christmas, Halloween is the second most “decorated” holiday. I believe it.  One particular group that I expect falls into that category of “decorated” for Halloween are the folks that live aboard a pint size “pirate ship” here in the harbor.  Celebrating pirates is very popular with all sorts of festivals, dressing up as swashbucklers (the friendly type) doesn’t become less important as they age.  

In any event, here’s a shot of Beaufort’s own pirate family lair.  And, believe it or not, I think it’s a live-aboard pirate ship.  No part time pirating for these swabbies. They even have a lookout on board.  No, make that an ex-lookout.It will be interesting to see what other sorts of “seasonally adjusted” evil doers we will encounter today.

On our run to Oriental the other day, we shared the channel with a barge and tow. We tend to think of the ICW as being for pleasure boats, but other than in the Dismal Swamp, there is plenty of commercial traffic.  As they say, “objects in the mirror are closer than they appear”.  Brenda didn’t want to steer as we s-l-o-w-l-y. passed this tug and tow.  Pretty big. There are more sailboats than power on the ICW and you very occasionally see a beautiful classic.  I expect that the guy on the bow is not a lowly crew member. He certainly looks the part of “owner”. Speaking of classics, this was one of two Chesapeake oyster buy boats that passed us.  Very pretty.  Shrimping is big business here in the warm shallow inland waters of the bay and the shrimp boats are in abundance.  I find it hard to believe that they can get a decent buck for their catch when competing with the farm raised variety from Asia, even if they taste better.  We have seen shrimp boats in various ports. How about a sunrise over the fleet in Oriental?Sometimes, if you ask nicely, you can buy seafood from a commercial boat. I Approached the owner of this one, the Lady Bella, and was able to buy a few pounds of shrimp, head and all yesterday morning.  He said that he normally only sells a minimum of 25lbs.  Too much.  Reminds me of buying a “peck” of oysters in Elizabeth City last fall.  I only wanted a dozen.  A peck?  That’s a lot of oysters. We ate the shrimp last night.  Very good.  However, I think it took more time to “head” them and peel the shell, than it took to eat dinner.  Isn’t that always the way for good cooking?It was fun to watch them unload the catch.  After being taken out of the hold they are cleaned on a conveyor belt.  After cleaning they are put in bags, boxes and plastic bins to be sent off to market. A really BIG bag of shrimp.  Big… Shrimp… Seems like a contradiction in terms.  Hmm…Big or shrimpy, that’s a lot of shrimp.  Getting my two pounds, which turned into about two plus pounds, cost me $10.  A lot of shrimp for the price.  Of course, with heads on, there was a lot of waste but still a bargain.  Brenda didn’t like looking at them with their heads on.  Looked to much like a “living thing”.  “Are you sure the are dead?”  

Speaking of shrimp boats, how about these two rafted together, Redemption and Forgiven.  I expect that the know each other.   “Forgiven calling Redemption. This is Forgiven looking for Redemption”.   They found each other, Praise The Lord!  Yesterday we headed from Oriental NC for the 20 mile run to Beaufort.  Speaking of Oriental, as I logged into my site to begin this post, I realized that I had not published my last post.  Not sure how that happened as I though I had but it was still in draft form.  Alas, two posts in the same day.  Not really, the unpublished work of Pandora… The lost post… Not exactly.

In coming here from Oriental yesterday, it was flat calm, just like it’s been for some time.  However, Chris Parker, the weather router we use, says that’s all about to change when a cold front comes through later in the week.  The big question is just how windy it’s going to be over the weekend when I head out, with crew, to make the run to Florida, the final leg of this current delivery trip south to stage Pandora for our winter in the Bahamas.

Leg one, the run from Essex to Annapolis, earlier this month, went without incident as did the run, with Brenda, from Annapolis to here.  That’s of course, if you forget some of the “technical” issues with the engine.  And no, I still have not called the yard in Deep River that bungled the work on the engine to talk about some sort of adjustment to my bill for pain and suffering.  I am not particularly looking forward to such an “awkward” discussion.   Perhaps today.

Beaufort is one of our favorite stops on the ICW as the down-town area is very pretty with some shopping on Main Street along with scenic homes on the nearby streets.  Shopping for provisions isn’t particularly easy as the supermarket is more than a mile outside of town.  On top of that, it’s pretty clear that my starting battery is kaput and not holding a charge overnight, so a visit to West Marine or another marine supply spot is probably in order.  I’ll have to get that done prior to the arrival of my crew on Friday night.

Regarding our departure from Beaufort, that depends on when the front comes through, bringing with it brisk northerly winds, something that we will need if we are going to make a fast run south.  And, another question is just how “brisk” the winds will be and how long they will last prior to shifting back to a more southerly direction.  I am happy with “strong” winds, a relative term, when they are from aft but am not thrilled with the thought of strong winds and seas if we are beating into them.  I should be able to learn more from Chris Parker in the next few days.

One of the downsides of using crew for a run like this, is that they inevitably have schedules and have to be home by a particular date.  And, having a deadline makes for problems as you might find yourself heading out when it’s not a particularly good idea, or worse.  It is often said that the most dangerous piece of equipment on a boat is a calendar.  Needing to be somewhere by a particular date can cause all sorts of problems.   Oh well, perhaps we will get lucky and get symmetry between calendar and schedules.

Well, crew is arriving on Friday night, late and we will have to see how things develop.  Here’s hoping that like today, our trip south to Florida will be more treat than trick.

Happy Halloween!

 

 

 

It’s Tuesday morning, the sun is out and it’s a beautiful (WARM) day here on the Pungo River.  I have to say that Pungo sounds like some sort of a character from a Dr. Seuse book.  I like it.  “Watch out!  Quick, find cover, there’s a Pungo on the loose!!!” I digress.

We are under power and on our way from Belhaven, where we spent last evening anchored off of the town,  to Oriental NC, a run of about 40 miles.  There is barely a ripple on the water and we are in the company of quite a few other boats, perhaps a  dozen, who likely have the same plans for the day. There aren’t many towns of any size in this part of North Carolina and what land there is is only a few feet above sea level.  When Brenda and I went for a walk yesterday, one of the locals pointed out a spot on a tree by the water where his father had marked the highest point that water had reached during Katrina, one of the many hurricanes that had hit this coast over the years.  Believe me, the mark was plenty high, perhaps 5 feet above ground and the ground was perhaps an additional 5 feet above the normal water level.

In the NE we are used to having tides that run in the 8’ range while here there is virtually no tide.  The only time that the water level changes is in response to wind.  When the winds blow hard from the north, the water is pushed out of the bay.  When it’s from the south it piles up.  Otherwise, there isn’t any appreciable change in depth.  The actual depth of the bay here is only around ten feet so a rise, or drop, of just two or three feet is a big deal and will flood many areas.   And, believe me, when the weather folks say “beware of flooding in low lying areas”, this is the place that they are referring to.

The biggest hill in these parts is measured in tens of feet, or less and often a lot less. Well, this is a very pretty area with stately homes lining the water.  This one, in particular, caught our eye.   We saw another very nice home on the same street that was for sale.  I looked it up and for a less than $500,000, you could have a lovely southern plantation home overlooking the water.   Looking for something more modest?  There are plenty of waterfront homes around that could be yours for about $200,000 and probably less.  The only problem, what to do for a living.  Detail…

Yesterday was a big day for me and Brenda as it was 41 years ago yesterday that we went on our first date.  I’d like to say that that momentous occasion was a spectacular and unique bit of planning on my part but I’d be lying.  While the date is certain, October 28, 1972, what we did together on that date isn’t quite so clear.  We think that it was the day that we went for a walk in a local nature preserve in Weston CT called Devil’s Den.   We do remember that it was a rainy day when we went for that walk and recall that it took me several hours go summon up the nerve to say something lame like “I like you.  Do you like me?”  I’d like to say that it was more than that, but what do you expect from someone who had only been 17 years old for a few months.  How pathetic.

Well, I guess Brenda didn’t consider me totally pathetic as here we are, 41 years later, still hanging out together.    Fingers crossed she won’t wise up.  Time will tell.

In the interest of completely honest reporting, both Brenda and I were unaware that yesterday was October 28^th, , although this is a day that we mark each year, and it wasn’t until we received a text from her sister Sheryl congratulating us on another milestone, that we were brought up to speed on what day it was.  Yes, we knew that it was a Monday but the date itself, not a clue.  Such is cruising where every day blends together, like the landscape.

I am sure that you are now on the edge of your seat wondering what we did to celebrate such an important event.  We went out to dinner, although that might not be exactly the first thought that came into your head.  However, I’ll just have to leave you guessing on that score.

Anyway, we went out for a nice dinner in what is likely the prettiest dining spot in Belhaven NC, the Spoon River Artworks and Market.  An odd name, but fun, never the less.   I guess an eclectic name for a place that is eclectic.  Form, or at least name, following function. I highly recommend it, the food was terrific and decor even better.  I have to say that to happen upon such an interesting restaurant in a “non metro” spot was a real treat.  How about this shot of the dining room?  Pretty unique.  I have never seen paper lanterns in such profusion outside of China Town.   Of particular interest was the wine room/store adjacent to the dining room where patrons could pick out a bottle of wine to have with dinner.  They had a great selection and it was fun pursuing the shelves to pick one.  Much more fun than looking at a list on a menu.

Earlier in the day we also visited an impressive hardware store, that sold hardware, as you’d imagine, along with an eclectic mix of other items, including wine (if you can believe it) and even a nice selection of purses, on sale.  So, for 25% off and about twice the price of a quart of lamp oil, I know as that bit of esoteria as that’s what I purchased, Brenda got a very nice new purse.   A fine fashion accessory crafted of the hide of a royal Nauga.

In case you are wondering where the hide of a Nauga comes from, we learned compliments of Google and Wickipedia, that Nauga originally came from Naugatuck CT, near where I grew up.  Who knew?  The farm must have been huge as there are plenty of Nauga Hides around.  So, how big is a Nauga anyway?

Isn’t it just  amazing what sort of information you can find if you have your “smart phone” handy.  Who would have ever thought that a phone could be “smart”.  Yet another wonder.

Oh yeah, there was a nice sunset too. Well, we had a great dinner…

Today, on to Oriental.  More to come and it’s still a beautiful day.

Yesterday we moved from Elizabeth City to the Alligator River, our destination for the day.

I am happy to report that the work that the mechanic Dave did on Pandora’s engine the other day seems to have worked out perfectly.  No dripping of fuel or oil.  A big improvement, that’s for sure.   I plan to have a discussion with the yard that worked on Pandora this summer.  I can’t really say that I am particularly looking forward to the discussion as it is likely to be plenty awkward.  Wish me luck.

I can’t really describe the depth of frustration I have felt along with a burning anxiety of what would happen if the leaks suddenly got worse.   As the fuel leak was getting worse each day, I am confident that it was only a matter of time until we were really stuck.  That would have not been fun.  I can’t even imagine what Brenda’s reaction would have been.  Not good, I am sure.

Anyway, we spent the day motoring along on very flat seas and settled in at an anchorage just outside the Alligator/Pungo canal.

For the last two days we have been traveling with our friend Dick and friend Denise aboard Willoway a 40’ Freedom.  We were thrilled to run into them in Elizabeth City and enjoyed hanging out with them for the last two days.

Another great thing about visiting Elizabeth City is that the town offers free dockage which I happily took advantage of.  Staying at the marina where Pandora’s engine was worked on was fine for one night but we really wanted to be part of the action for the second night, along the waterfront.  This photo shows just how pretty the spot we were tied up to was.  Most of the boats were tied up bow or stern too a bit farther down the way but tying up alongside was much easier for us in the breeze that popped up when we arrived on Saturday. One of the best things about cruising are the impromptu events that spring up when boats meet along the ICW.   Elizabeth City is known for their Rose Buddies but unfortunately, they don’t throw parties for visiting cruisers on weekends. 

However, that didn’t stop us from having a party as I just passed the word on Saturday afternoon that everyone should meet for cocktails under a tent on the waterfront.  Word got around and at 5:00 everyone showed up with drinks and food to share.  It was great fun and, once again, we had the opportunity to reacquaint with old friends.  I’d guess that there were about 30 in attendance and everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves, me too.

Fortunately, the weather has moderated and it’s now getting warmer during the day and evenings.  That’s not to say that we don’t miss our heater but at least you can’t see your breath in the cabin in the morning.  That assumes that you don’t think low 50s is too cold.  Burrrr…

So, last night we will tucked into a little cove on the Alligator river and hang out with Dick and Denise.   We got together for dinner and it was nice to catch up and share the sunset with them.  In the spirit of the moment and to celebrate heading south I blew my my conch shell as the sun set behind the cypress swamp.

Yes, we are getting closer to “south”.  Tonight we visit a nice little town, Belhaven.  We haven’t been there before so we are looking forward to checking things out.

Yesterday we made our way from the Visitor’s Center in the Dismal Swamp Canal to Elizabeth City where we are now.  We left the Visitor’s Center dock at 7:15.  It was pretty chilly with a low mist on the water.Along the way, we motored through some of the most magnificent scenery you will find anywhere on the ICW.  This is where we first saw Bald Cypress, the sort of tree that grows in the swamps. They have the distinctive “knees” roots that stick up around the base of the trees.  I guess that means we are now really in the south.  The view was spectacular.

Our trip through the two locks at either end of the canal were uneventful.  The very pleasant lock tender Robert, was as helpful as always.   We entered the first lock, the Deep Creek lock, to begin our 8′ lift into the canal.  The gate was closed and the water rushed in. Here we are “all risen” and ready to go. It seems that it is part of human nature to measure.  This list in the canal tells visitors how far they are from nearly everywhere.  Only 1,087 miles to go to Miami!
Brenda did a great job in handling Pandora in the locks.  Perhaps it was the flowers.
As we came through the lift bridge into Elizabeth City we were treated to a display of perhaps the greatest “big boy toy” I have ever seen.  A massive crane that was dropping this huge metal thing into the water, over and over again.  It seems that they are crushing an old bridge foundation.   Here’s the crane preparing for a “drop”.  And, the drop…  I want to do that… I’d probably wet myself as I pushed the button to let her rip. OK, enough about yesterday, so it’s now Saturday morning.  I have to think about that for a moment as the days do run together, and all is well on Pandora.  The sun is up and we are on a dock which means that it’s warm in the cabin. Unfortunately, the diesel heater has been on the fritz for much of our trip from Annapolis.  It seems that the “overheat sensor” failed and that means that it thinks that it’s too hot to run.  Ha!!!  NOT.  It’s frigging cold actually.  Anyway, we were warm last night as we tied up to a dock and plugged in our little electric heater. 

While the last few days have been pretty chilly, in the 40s at night, with last night dipping into the 30s, the next week promises to rise to meteoric highs of 50s at night and 70s during the day.  No, that’s not too hot by “southern standards”, but it’s warm enough to get by without a real heater and unplugged from a dock.

Spending time on docks isn’t something that we do often as the cost can really add up at docks where fees often run as much as $3-$4 a foot per night.  However, the dock we are on here in Elizabeth City run $35 per night for any size boat that can fit and that includes electric.  Low dock prices are the norm here as the town let’s visitors stop at the town dock for FREE for two nights, and they throw in a cocktail party, again for free.   “Stop at Elizabeth City on our free dock and we’ll buy you a beer, or two.”  In exchange they will give you a sales pitch on why you should spend some money in town while you are here.  It’s hard to compete with FREE so the local dock prices are pretty low.

Along with the free beer and wine at the town docks each night, each lady aboard is presented with a rose from the town garden.  The nice folks who present the roses, mostly retired men, are real southern gentlemen are thus nicknamed the “rose buddies”.   You can read about our first experience with Elizabeth City in this post from last year when we came through town.

That’s all great but the thing that has made our visit to EC this year all the more remarkable is the gentleman that visited us yesterday to work on Pandora’s engine.

You may recall that I had lots of work done on Pandora’s engine over the summer up in Deep River CT.  I had this work done as the engine had 3,500 hundred hours on the clock and had not been really worked over since we purchased the boat seven years ago.  With this in mind I gave them the charge to take apart, check and replace whatever they recommended so that she was fit for another long run to the Bahamas and back.   If you have been following this blog, the results were not as good as I had hoped.

Over the last few weeks aboard the engine developed leaks of nearly every sort of fluid an engine can leak.  “So, Bob, tell us what sorts of fluids an engine can leak?” Thanks for asking.  The engine started leaking salt water from the intake water hose on the new raw water pump.   That was the easy one as it was a loose hose clamp on the hose.  “Easy” is a relative term as had it slipped off, and it was plenty loose, water would have been rushing into the bilge at an alarming rate.  It’s a 1 1/2″ hose.  Luckily, I caught it before it slipped off entirely.

Second, an I have to number them as the list is long.  Second, the new oil pressure sensing switch was leaking oil.  Not a lot, but enough to make a mess in the pan under the engine.  That was new since the engine was worked on too.

Third, the fuel lift pump, was leaking.  This pump delivers the fuel to the high pressure pump.  It has a cover plate with six or so screws.  Apparently, several of these were loose and fuel was leaking from around the seal.  Annoying and messy but not a huge leak.

Fourth, and this was a big one, it seems that the high pressure hoses from the fuel pump had not been properly seated when they were put back on after the injectors were checked and replaced.  These metal hoses carry fuel from the injector pump to the four injectors to run the engine.  In a diesel engine fuel is delivered to the cylinders at something like 2,500 pounds per square inch.  That’s a lot of pressure and if the fittings are not put in place perfectly, the fuel leaks out.

Well, after leaving Essex I began to notice that there was a small amount of fuel finding it’s way into the pan under the engine.  Not a lot but after running for 30 hours getting to Annapolis, the leaks began to get worse.  I noticed the accumulating fuel but there wasn’t much.  However, that changed by the time we made our way down to Hampton as it was now a lot of fuel, perhaps a cup after a few hours of motoring.  I was told by the mechanic, Dave, yesterday that these sort of injector leaks tend to get worse each time the engine heats up and runs.  If the compression fittings are not set properly, they leak more and more each time they heat and cool.

I guess he was right as the leaks had gotten pretty bad and as the fuel ran down the side of the engine I could see it smoking a bit.  I tried to tighten things along the way myself but wasn’t able to do anything to help improve things.   So, two days ago, as we were making our way from Hampton through the Dismal Swamp, I made a reservation at a marina in Elizabeth City to have the engine worked on.

Enter “Dave the Mechanic” who dropped everything to come and work on Pandora.  He spent over five hours tracking down the leaks, all of which seem so straight forward now, but believe me, finding them was not a simple feat.  Diesel fuel is very viscous and as it runs down the engine, tracking where it came from is very difficult as it wicks everywhere on it’s way down to the bilge.   Anyway, after many false starts and restarts, we finally identified the “leaks” and there were a number of them.

I won’t belabor the point “Sorry Bob, too late”, but after 5 1/2 hours we did a final check by running the engine and checking and rechecking for new fuel leaks, and were fairly confident that they were all resolved.  I sure hope so as I am so tired of dealing with the anxiety of leaks getting worse and worse and the fear of loosing the use of the engine.

As the day was progressing and Dave ran out to get more tools and to the auto parts store for oil pressure switches and the like, I was getting anxious on what this whole deal was going to cost.  Remember that I paid the marina in Deep River plenty over the summer and now I was paying someone else to redo their work.

So when Dave finished up at nearly 6pm I took a deep breath and asked him how much I owed him.   He seemed to think about this for a long time.   Long enough for me to fear what the number was going to be.  Finally, after an interminable pause, he said “Make that $40.”  My reaction was to say “are you kidding, you were here all afternoon”.  His answer… “You saved me from working on my own boat and I just felt like being a good Samaritan today.  You can pay me $40, including the cost of the oil pressure switch.  That will be fair.”

My jaw dropped.  And Brenda who was sitting in the cabin with us just stopped knitting and probably dropped a stitch, or two. I questioned him on this a number of times and his story didn’t change.  I didn’t know what do to and as I reached for my wallet I was thinking “$40 for more than 5 hours of work.  What’s that per hour?”

So, I got my wallet, pulled out two 20s and then another two.  I approached Dave and said “Ok, here’s your $40 and I’d like to give you another $40 as a tip.  That’s what I would really like to do as you put in a lot of time and $40 just isn’t enough. Ok?”  He accepted the $40 and reluctantly agreed that he’d split the difference with me and took an additional $20.  I couldn’t believe it.  I also asked if I could buy him a case of beer to which he replied, “I haven’t had a drink in 25 years”.   I was out of ideas on how to make this right.

So, it seems that Dave, like the guys who give roses to each women who comes to Elizabeth City by boat, is also a “buddy”, no make that a “motor buddy”.  Hard to believe that such hospitality exists anywhere these days and it’s alive and well here in Elizabeth City, NC.

Epilogue:  Brenda and I had a glass of wine after Dave left to consider what had happened (we have indeed had a drink, or two, in the last 25 years) we decided to go to the waterfront restaurant near the marina and who should we see sitting at a table having a nice steak but our “boat buddy” Dave.  AHA!  A chance to get even!!!

I pulled our waitress aside and told her that Brenda an I were buying Dave’s dinner.

Here’s a photo of Dave and our very nice waitress Jennifer, a recent transplant from New Orleans.  It seems that Dave is a regular here.All and all, an amazing day.

But wait, there’s more…

We were boarded by the coastguard too earlier in the day and happily we passed. Not with flying colors but we passed.  It seems that I didn’t have the most current Coast Guard documentation documents for Pandora on board.  I don’t know how that happened as I recall renewing it.  Anyway, they let me off with a warning because I was “cooperative”.

Here come the Coasties.Perhaps Dave let us off too because we were “cooperative”.  I’ll never know.

It’s Wednesday morning and we are sitting on a dock in Hampton VA.  It’s raining but the forecast calls for clearing later today.   Hope so.

Over the weekend we enjoyed a visit, here in Hampton, with other boaters at the first Cruiser’s rendezvous which attracted some 40-50 boats.  The local planning crew put on quite a show with great seminars and terrific sponsored (free) meals and even some free drinks thrown in for good measure.  Anyone planning to head down the ICW in the fall should add Hampton to their itinerary.  It’s a great place to visit an well worth the stop.

One of the presenters during the day of seminars was Mark Doyle.  He and his wife Diana, long time ICW cruisers, have a series of guides that detail their favorite anchorages along the 1,000+ miles on the ICW between Hampton and Florida.  The “On The Water ChartGuides” are a must for anyone taking the inside route.   As Mark was presenting, I was struck by how different he looked than most of the folks I have seen standing in front of PowerPoint slides over the yeas.  In my “old life” the dress code was a bit less casual.  Mark and the others, including me, at the seminar were dressed in “T” shirts and shorts which Mark rounded off with Crock sandals.  Not your usual corporate meeting presentation wardrobe.  I am just so happy to be in the “crock world” now.  After the meetings, we rented a car and traveled north to CT for a funeral for my late uncle Dick. Dick and his family were a big part of my younger years and it was very nice to participate in such an important event.  It was also wonderful to see many of my relatives and old friends, some of whom I have not seen for years. All and all, it made me and Brenda feel good to make the trip.  It was exhausting, as we drive about 1,000 miles, round trip, in two days.  We didn’t actually leave CT until around 6:30pm on Monday evening after the reception and finally stopped in a hotel to sleep around 3:30 on Tuesday morning.  I had hoped to make it all the way back to Pandora but ran out of steam before we made it back.  Besides, the idea of making up the bed (we had stripped the bed to do laundry while we were away) and climbing into bed as the sun came up wasn’t too appealing.   Yikes, I was pooped. Yesterday we were pretty worn out and weren’t very productive.  I am definitely getting too old to stay up that late, or early, depending on how you look at it. 

Last evening we had cocktails with some old friends and made some new ones aboard Pandora.  In particular, we ran into Pete and Stephanie from Brilliant, who we ran into last fall on our run south.  Pete and Stephanie began cruising in the Med, crossed over to the Caribbean and have cruised up and down the east coast over the last few years.

We hung around with them for a while last fall and in particular, they were the ones who rescued us when we fouled our prop with a plastic tarp in Savannah.  It was nice to run into them again.  It seems that they are planning to spend the winter in the Bahamas too so we will probably see them along the way.  I hope so.

We also had two couples aboard who were staying in the marina where we are and talked about the trip south as it the first time for both of them.  We enjoyed telling them about what to expect along the way.

I continue to marvel on how often we are running into folks that we know and look forward to seeing other friends as we move along.

Today we will be leaving Hampton in the late morning to begin working our way down toward the Deep Creek Lock where we will enter the Dismal Swamp.   The “official” beginning of the ICW is mile marker “0” and is located in Norfolk off of Hospital Point, where we were anchored for a few nights last week.

We are not planning to try and make it all the way to the lock today as there is a nice little anchorage just before the lock.   This suggests that we will make the 8:00 opening on Thursday morning.  After that we will mosey along the first 18 miles of the canal to the visitor’s center.  No point in rushing.  Besides, there is a small dock, just after the lock, where we can stop and visit a supermarket that is a short walk from the dock.  We never want to give up an opportunity to provision with fresh food when we can.

Not much to post in the way of photos so perhaps a shot of Pandora sitting on the dock is about the best I can do for now.  Pretty neat to have her stern too on the dock as getting on and off is a cinch.  Don’t ask me how it went backing her into the slip though.  Not a pretty picture.  Glad that it wasn’t in front of a big audience. Oh well, that’s what rub rails are for.I guess I had better sign off for now.   The day’s a wasting…