It’s Thursday morning and the sun is not quite up yet.  Well, it’s coming up now that I am finishing up on editing this post.  So, how about the sunrise over the city? We are anchored in downtown Norfolk, just across the river from a mass of office buildings and a mall.  On the other shore, close to us, there is a large city hospital and huge ships are coming and going constantly.  Interestingly, as the ships, some over 1,ooo feet long, pass by they leave barely a ripple as they are going so slowly, usually accompanied by the ever so attentive tugs.  Did I say that I just love tugs?  If you haven’t heard that you need to read more of my posts.  I love tugs. 

This huge, 1,050’container ship (I know that because of AIS) came into the harbor just as we did.  I did my best to stay out of his way.   Anything this big can’t be “her”.  This is an alarming angle to see such a big ship from.This fishing boat gave way too and steamed right by us.It’s hard to believe that there was a time when this fort was the major defense for the city.   It’s funny to think that the officer’s quarters were outside of the walls of the fort.  I guess when the enemy approached they would sound the alarm and say “quick, run away, behind the walls, quick”.   What a guy will do for a view.  Hard to see the water from behind an earthen wall.  Today’s navy could level this with in a single shot.  That’s progress, I think…As we entered the harbor yesterday evening we decided to head down here bypassing Hampton for a few days.  Unfortunately, I underestimated the distance that we would be backtracking as we still plan on going back to Hampton for the cruiser’s weekend and to pick up a few items that we have ordered.   I guess we will catch the tide on Friday and head back up the harbor, TEN MILES, that’s a few hours at Pandora speed, to Hampton.   However, it will be fun to be there.  We also have a few friends coming down from Williamsburg to visit us while we are there.  Another plus for Hampton.

Remember the neglected foul weather gear and sandals that we left, by accident, with our son Rob in Baltimore?  The’ll be in Hampton so going there is a must. Ditto for the new voltage regulator I ordered for the engine as the charging system is acting up.  So much for the work done at the marina in Deep River.  They didn’t pick up on that problem even though the mechanic spent 3.5 hours messing with it.  Hopefully, the supplier, Hamilton Ferris, is right and the problem is a regulator one and not something bigger.  The guy I spoke with on the phone seemed pretty confident about his diagnosis.  And, he recommended a “smart regulator” with all sorts of flashing lights and glowing numbers.  That just has to be what I need.  So much for cost control and fiscal responsibility.  Of course, there is a version that was 1/3 the cost but it doesn’t have flashing lights and glowing numbers.  Flashing lights and glowing number have to be better.  I need one of those.  Let’s hope it’s smart enough.  Fingers crossed.

The problem is that the batteries aren’t charging properly as the sensor thinks that they are charged one moment and not the next.  That means that the supply of power to charge the batteries is all over the place, charging 60 amps one second and nothing the next, literally.  And that process goes on constantly.  Not a lot of charging being done.   Fingers crossed that the folks at Hamilton are right.  If so, that doesn’t do much to give me confidence in the mechanics in Deep River where I spent a ton having the boat worked on.

Speaking of the engine, after all of that work they did, because I didn’t think I would do it right, I am now the proud owner of a few slow (fortunately) oil and fuel leaks.  That seems absurd to me as there weren’t any leaks prior to the engine being worked on.   Now I get to hunt them down, the very thing I was trying to avoid by paying someone else to do the work.   Enough complaining for now.  Something to keep me occupied for a few hours today.  What fun.

Anyway, more to the point, Norfolk is a happening place if you like big ships.  It’s home to a huge Naval presence and there is a massive amount of commercial shipping coming and going all of the time.  Add to that, the lights of a big city and a waterfront mall, and I can see why so many cruisers stop here on their way south.

Here’s a sample, and only a small one, of some of the ships we saw as we came in.

Of course, I should start with this 1,050’ monster being docked.  This is the one that came into the harbor as we did.  We followed them down the harbor as did two tugs.  The tugs did an impressive job of turning the huge ship 180 degrees and pushing her against the dock.  The amount of water that was coming out from behind both tugs was quite a sight and to see them turn the ship in it’s own length, against the tide, wow.One pushed as the other pulled.  They turned her in her own length.  Smoke billowing.  “Beware, objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.”  That applies here too. They were really close. 

Tons of big grey navy ships, one more massive than the next.

This one is supposed to be less visible on radar.  Not so sure I buy that.  No wait, we all “bought that” and lots more like her.  Your tax dollars at work.  Perhaps I’ll turn on my radar when I next pass by in a few days and see if I can see her on the screen.  Big target?  I’m thinking yes…I”ll bet that this baby will show up just fine on radar.  HUGE!!!  Oops, they forgot to get all the planes off of this one. 
I guess that it takes a lot of fuel to run a navy.  This supply ship certainly has lots of hoses to push fuel through.  Oh yeah, and we saw pelicans.  I guess that they are happy to co-habitate with the US Navy.The coast guard gets to ignore the “no wake zone” signs, it seems.  Pretty neat though.  And, they don’t have to worry about the cost of fuel.Perhaps the neatest thing of all was the AWACS surveillance plane that flew overhead.  Pretty good view.  I wonder if they “surveilled” me.  Enough pictures of the things Congress spends money on to help us.  

Let’s go shopping too!!!

Today we will go ashore for a tour of the waterfront.  There are a number of museums on the water including one that houses the Battle Ship Missouri.  Hard to believe that something that big can be obsolete.    I’ll have to learn more.  

It’s Wednesday afternoon and we are motoring along on our way toward Norfolk, our destination for the day.  Last night we were in a little harbor/cove, our first in VA on this trip. 

The harbor was barely big enough for us and the two catamarans that were anchored with us.  Both were larger than Pandora, one 44’ and the other 47’ and I was happy to have passed each of them as I sailed down the bay.

Our spot for the night, Ashley’s Cove,  was very well protected with a really tight entrance.  There was barely enough water for us to make it in but then it opened up into a nice little peaceful spot.  Holding was good in soft mud.  Ashley’s is off of Fleet Bay just north of the Rappahannock River in VA.   Try saying Rappahannock three times fast.  Rapp….

This is a shot of the area surrounding Ashley’s Cove.  The number of small harbors available in the Chesapeake is quite amazing.  No wonder that waterfront property is less expensive than in the NE.  This is a closeup of the cove.  You can see how small it is.  To look at it on the chart did make me wonder if I would be able to make it in.  However, the guide book said.   “Go for it Bob!  You can do it.”   So I did it.The cove was surrounded by some very pretty homes, each more impressive than the last.   I particularly liked this one with a steel  roof on the barn. This one had an interesting structure on the cabana.  I am not sure if it was a wind generator or a kinetic sculpture.  I have seen generators that look like this.  And, what an amazing use of windows.  I’ll bet the local window store was thrilled to get this order. How about this palatial spot?  Pretty amazing.  And, I’ll bet that this is only used on weekends.   I mentioned in yesterday’s post that we saw our first pelicans of the trip.  This photo was taken way off so it’s not to crisp.  However, behold, a (fuzzy) pelican. So, as we continue along under power, we are making nearly 8kts with the tide.  That’s good.  We should be at anchor in time for cocktails.  That’s double good.

Our plan will be to stay in the Hampton/Norfolk area through the weekend and then begin to make our way down the ICW, Dismal Swamp Canal and on to Beaufort NC.  That part of the “ditch” was our favorite and we are looking forward to doing it again.

It’s Tuesday late morning and we are sailing south toward Deltaville.  I say Deltaville as I am not exactly sure where we will stop for sure but our plans are to continue moving with the idea of being in port before dark.  At this time we are making good time, around 5.5 to 6.5kts.  That’s good.

I guess SPOT will know where we are at the end of the day.  For now, the sailing is terrific.  A bit ago we passed a catamaran.  I just love passing other boats and will never loose the thrill of seeing a boat from the stern and then the bow as I go past. Although, in the interest of full disclosure, to call Pandora “fast” is a relative term.  It’s sort of like saying “my grass grows faster than your grass.   So there!!!”.

I mention this as I spoke to them on the radio to say that I had taken some pictures of their boat as we passed.  They took photos of Pandora so hopefully, we will be able to exchange them at some point soon.   It seems that we are both headed to the same places.  He did make a specific point that he wants to be somewhere where he doesn’t see his breath in the cabin when he wakes up in the morning.   Good plan.   It’s chance encounters like these that makes cruising so interesting.

Yesterday I took some photos of a boat we passed that had a neat hard dodger.  This isn’t common and I thought that the design made the boat look more substantial. Speaking of substantial, how about this group of tugs.  Pretty impressive group.  When it comes to “form follows function”, tugs can’t be topped.Last evening a couple from a catamaran nearby in the anchorage stopped by to say that they had seen us in the Exumas last winter.  We exchanged cards and I expect that we will run into them again.  It is a very small world.

Anyway, we are really moving along nicely and it’s good to be sailing as motoring isn’t that great and the fuel costs more than sailing.  I won’t talk about how much sails cost.  Sailing is good, the breeze just freshened and we are now going over 7kts.  I’ll take it.

Near Solomon’s Island there is a significant Navy presence, with jets taking off and landing all the time.  This is a photo of the base and hangers as we headed out today. It seems that when they went to the antenna/satellite dish store someone said, “I’ll take one of everything.   No, make that three or everything.  On second thought, how many do you think we can fit on 100 acres?”  Your tax dollars at work.“Oh yeah, how about a few patrol boats?  And, make them look really old and throw in a bit of a “bannana republic” look while you are at it.  I already spent my money on antennas with the last guy.”   One of them came by us as we were sailing along.There’s something in the cruising guide about a bombing range we should avoid.  Good advice.   The Navy has been hailing boats all morning telling them to stay clear of the range as they are going to be doing practice runs later today.

Speaking of bombs, we are bombing along on a broad reach at over 7kts.  So, exactly where is that range?  I don’t want to be a target and Pandora isn’t nearly fast enough to outrun a jet.

It’s Monday morning and Pandora is making her way down the Chesapeake Bay on our way to Solomon’s Island, our probable stop for today.   Hampton is about 120 miles from Annapolis and we don’t have to be there till later this week so it’s not necessairy for us to cover a ton of ground each day.  Having said that, we may run into some headwinds later in the week so making time while the wind is favorable is a good idea.  As I write this we are under sail running wing and wing and making nearly 7kts through the water.  That’s good.

We returned to Annapolis and Pandora after spending the weekend with our son Rob and his girlfriend Kandice, at their home in Baltimore.  I was pretty glad to be off of Pandora for a few days given the fact that it had rained pretty much every day since my arrival the weekend before.  No, not exactly all of the time, but enough to make it feel like rain, rain and more rain.  Brenda joined me in Baltimore and we had a terrific time.  We had such a great time that we couldn’t even manage to leave with everything we arrived with.  How about leaving foul weather gear and a pair of Brenda’s sandals?   The gear will surely come in handy soon, if the last week’s weather is any indication?  And the sandals?  Well that’s a crisis as we are headed south and guess what the fashion of the day is there?  You guessed it.   What’s a girl to do?   Crisis averted, Rob is going to mail them to us in Hampton VA where we will be spending the coming weekend.

Prior to meeting Brenda at Rob and Kandice’s I had guests aboard from CT from Wednesday through Friday for the boat show.  It was fun having like minded folks on board to tour the show and they also kept me well fed and lubricated.  Actually, the lubrication was somewhat excessive but I have only myself to blame.  Having said that, I can’t say that they set a particularly good example.  It was fun, that’s for sure.

While Brenda hasn’t been in Annapolis since last Fall when we passed through here on our way to FL, we decided to head out today instead of touring the city to take advantage of favorable winds that are forecast for the next few days to make distance toward Hampton.

Last night was the first night that I really felt that we were back in “cruiser’s mode” as Brenda was aboard and we spent the evening with our good friends Bill and Maureen of Kalunamoo and their friends from NY.   We sailed with Kalunamoo off and on last fall and winter and really enjoyed their company.  Maureen, perhaps more than anyone, tries to keep me in line so I don’t push Brenda too much.  When I talked about taking Pandora to Turkey, her response was “down Bob, down Bob, one step at a time”.    OK, OK, point taken but I still want to go.

However, they are not without guilt as they did ask us if we’d like to do the Salty Dawg rally with them this fall.  In the interest of full disclosure, it was Maureen that first said, “we are going to the Caribbean, want to come too?” when they visited us in Essex a few months ago.  That run will take them from Hampton VA to Tortola in the BVI,  a trip that I’d love to take.   So there, it’s not just me Maureeen!!!

For now I am happy to have Brenda aboard, being underway and headed south.  Yahoo!!!

No post is complete without at least one photo and since there haven’t been any sunsets worth showing of late (recall day after day of rain?) I’ll put in a shot of the boat show as we passed out of the harbor. Oh yeah, and how about a shot of the Thomas Point light?  This is a “screw pile” lighthouse and certainly a form that speaks the loudest that you are indeed in the Chesapeake and headed south.  Indeed!!!

It seems that most everyone, teams, cities and countries have mascots.  Some become controversial in our ever so PC society such as the current debate about renaming the Cleveland Indians.   Welcome to America, where you can’t offend anyone.

Even Annapolis, it seems, has it’s share of debate about such things.  As I was walking around town the other day, I ran into a monstrous chicken, another and yet another.

Someone decided to set up an art project modeled on the same type such as the “cows on parade” in Chicago a number of years.  Legend has it that the city passed an ordnance making it legal to raise chickens within the city limits.  I am guessing that this didn’t include roosters.  Hens only.

It seems that this “chicken ordnance” spilled over to the art world and some local artists decided that they too wanted to be part of the debate.  The deal is that local businesses make a donation to create a “chicken blank” which is given to a local artist or school class, which is then “finished” according to the desire of the artist/class.   The finished piece is installed somewhere in downtown Annapolis.  I wonder if there is an arbitrator of “chick taste” to determine if the finished piece is an “approprichick” design for the community?  I guess you will need to be the judge.

Anyway, so much for background, here are some of my favorites.  This one had lots of little guys crawling up his back.How about a fleur de lis inspired chick?If chickens were smart, and I am told that they aren’t, this one would be at the head of the class.
Civic, or “civchick” pride was very much in evidence.  Go firefighters!!!
I’m thinking school class.  The work of many, small, hands.
This one seemed to be looking into the conference room window of a downtown hotel.  The folks around the table looked like they were in pain.   As awkward as it was, I leaned up against the window and snapped this candid of one of the folks in the meeting, watching a Presentation, no doubt.   Not a good day at the office.   Me, I prefer a visit to the boat show. Yes, definitely better.  “Not so PC Bob.  Down Bob, down Bob.  Not PC at all.”|  Ok, I am told that some folks love meetings, really.   Could that be true?

The boat show?  Fun, even in the rain.  Not much to report there.  My boat improvement budget is blown, definitely blown for the season.  Time to go sailing. This weekend Brenda and I are visiting our son Rob and his girlfriend Kandice for a few days.  Let’s hope for fair winds early in the week for our run down to Hampton VA.