Friday, June 5th - Portsmouth, VA to Deltaville, VA (Deltaville Marina)

All set ready to cruise.  This is the first day of leaving the ICW and traveling the waters of the Chesapeake Bay.  Still raining and gross out but less so than the previous day….i was excited to be able to wear my new foul weather gear, as i had to be the one out in ‘it’ putting away the lines and pulling up fenders, etc…  it wasn’t pouring but it was a steady drizzle.   this picture captures the last smile on my face for the entire day.

i guess i noticed it all starting about a 1/2 hour into our cruise day.  I remember this because the waves grew just as we passed this HUGE tanker and i asked Harry if the waves we were feeling were from passing the tanker? - he said yes.  but the problem was the waves never stopped and in fact they grew and grew and grew.  Harry was piloting the boat from the cockpit due to the drizzle and not the fly bridge as usual…i kept thinking we were just hitting a rough spot…and we’d come out of it….but the waves were relentless.  i can’t recall now why i went below (probably to pee) but when i did i had to bump myself down each step on my butt in order not to be thrown off the steps.  below was a disaster zone which was in the process of what looked like a demonic possession…the boat’s insides seemed to be stretching and moaning and throwing up with each wave, every drawer was flinging open and shut, the refrigerator doors had flung open and everything on the floor, the glasses in the wine holder broke, pictures had flown off their hangers.  i just sat on the bottom step for a minute and watched…i couldn’t move.  i finally made my way over to the galley because i was on a mission.  I wanted to save my two potted plants and planters that were teetering toward disaster on top of the cabinets.  i managed to grab them, put them on the floor and pushed the garbage container flat up next to them.  forget about peeing….i had to get back up top….

we were both quite, not talking.  i sat behind the captain in one of the deck chairs pulled up close to the fly bridge ladder which i held on to SO tight that my hands were numb.  ‘they’ say when the waves are bad not to go down below and it’s true, oh hell yea, it’s true.  back up top i began to feel my knee caps twitching and i got really cold chills and i couldn’t stop shaking…i kept trying to talk to myself in order to avoid / keep my mind off of fainting and/or vomiting.  Harry asking me if i’m alright i said, ‘no, just pull over there and stop.’  there was no place over there to stop.  I’m sure the waves were coming up over the fly bridge because they were certainly coming up to and over the cockpit windshield.  I could not watch the waves coming, so i sat behind harry hanging on to the fly bridge ladder with my head down on my arms.  hours passed like this.   I was miserable, miserable. 

I realized the dinghy was thrashing around like crazy and really taking a beating, but i didn’t care, but knew Harry would so i told him…he then said, ‘take the wheel, i have to secure the dinghy’ - i said NO!! and took the wheel.  As scary as it was you can’t really screw up when you’re getting beat up so bad from massive waves.  all i did was try my best to steer us into them and not have them hit me side ways… i would turn around ever so often to make sure he was still back there - he had climbed completely into the dinghy as was tying down the straps more securely.  Finally, he’s back at the wheel and i’m madder than fire that i had to do that and now i’m shaking more so…but back at my post, holding tight, with my head down.

Then Harry tells me that the clip/post/screw that was holding the anchor in place on the bow had shook loose and the anchor was dangling…  I said, ‘don’t worry about it’.  But Harry did and said, ‘take the wheel, I have to go secure it.’ i said, NO!!!  and took the wheel.  what happened next is recalled in slow motion in my mind.  Harry gets to the bow (finally) and he grabs the anchor chain just as we hit a huge wave that sends Harry to the deck, hard.  I start to scream (he cannot possibly hear me), ‘get back here, get back here, come back!’  i try to look over him to concentrate on how to maneuver through the waves but another hits and he pounded flat again.  it’s an absolute horrifying sight.  Like a huge fish flopping around after being brought into the boat.  Even the grill seems to be screaming with fear, each time we come up on a wave the lid of the grill comes open….the larger the wave the bigger it opens.  Like a mouth screaming, oh, OH, OHHH!! He can’t seem to do what he intended cause it’s taking too long…but i see that he’s pulled out the anchor chain a bit, i know this because i can see the blue plastic tubing that Pat suggested he apply to the anchor, and then we hit again and he goes flying toward the port side but i can see the blue chain in his hands.  up and down, up and down, he is thrown and at one point he looks straight at me and tries to tell me something.  He looks like he’s scared, which terrifies me, his nose is bleeding, he’s soaking wet. i do not know what he wants me to do! so i keep driving through the waves. I am shaking all over and cold.  all i can think of is that he’s going to be thrown overboard and i will not know how to turn the boat around to retrieve him.  I am trying to concentrate on my driving so that i won’t succumb to the fainting symptoms.  I am petrified and mad as hell!!  (when i get scared i get mad).  what seems like an eternity is probably 15 minutes and he gets back to the wheel where he belongs.  I fall back to my position of holding tight to the fly bridge ladder and cry.  I’m shaking like crazy, cold and really crying. Everything runs through my mind, boating sucks, who enjoys this shit?, i am not prepared, if we make it I can rent a car and drive to KY, stay with my Dad, get Don to come with Harry…why do people do this?  this is horrible…. Harry turns around at some point and says, ‘I”m sorry’…..

I barely recall coming in but i do remember telling the dock hands we’ve had a rough day and they helped tie up and put fenders out while i sat in a lump on top of the dock box, in shock.   All i wanted was a hot bath and to curl up on the bed.

Harry was fine, a bit later he wanted to know if I wanted to walk in to see the town, get a bite to eat.  I said, ‘no, don’t think so, I’m just gonna stay right here curled up in the fetal position and suck my thumb.’  

Jan, i thought of not writing about this day because i didn't want you to freak out - but maybe it would be a good idea to skip this day if you print this out for Buddy Dink.

Thursday, June 4th - unplanned lay over - Portsmouth, VA 

Stayed in Portsmouth due to chart plotter malfunction.  it appears it got wet and stopped working, but did not notice until we were untied, pulled out and on our way so we turned around and came back in - in and out sounds simple but it ain’t - ugh.  Cables had gotten wet up top on the fly bridge with all the rain and moisture in the air.  It didn’t take long to fix the problem (Abner still assisting from afar!) but decided to stay put - weather was still yucky - just less so.

The bad weather kept many boaters in the marina and so we got to know our next door neighbors, Mike and Karen.  Unfortunately, their lay over was due to mechanical problems as well as the weather.  we’d been following their boat ‘Liberty’ off and on since River Dunes.  The mechanical problem was a bent rudder? that happened when they tried to assist a sailor who had gone aground - when they ventured over to assist - they too got pulled over into a stump and bent their rudder.  They were awaiting a new rudder being delivered to the marina.  It turned out to be a $5000 dollar assist…  

Lesson learned, bigger boats should not attempt to assist smaller boats.  We had seen that grounded boat earlier and I asked Harry why we didn’t go over and throw them a rope and pull them out, but he said a smaller boat should do that.  i thought, well that’s not very nice…the only thing we did was to rev up the engines to provide them with a big wake that would perhaps dislodge them off the bottom.  But i learned this after the fact so when Harry sped by them i could NOT believe he would do such a thing as to plow through when someone obviously needed help.  HA.  the two captains were talking on the radio and the fellow boater had requested Harry provide the wake.  lots to learn here.

So some of the day was spent with Harry helping Mike and Karen on their boat (their boat was taking in water?) and I read most of the day…I guess i’ve started three and finished two books while here in Portsmouth.  I now know i could read all day long - all day - just moving from place to place so my bones won’t get sore.  :)  Did i tell you gals how much i love my kindle!? Thank you. Read so far:  All highly recommend. 

The Farm - Tom Rob Smith - psycho/mystery

The Good Girl - Mary Kubica - psychological thriller

A Head Full of Ghost - Paul Tremblay - horror/thriller 

I think this was the day we went to Walmart via cab to stock up.  I thought i was kinda worldly about different ethnic foods…but what the heck?  anyone ever heard of these - see pic?

Wednesday, June 2nd and 3rd - unplanned lay over - Portsmouth, VA

Stayed in Portsmouth due to fog, rain and storms.  we’ve been bragging about all the perfect weather, seas, etc…for our first 30 days or so.  Well, that all changed.  I don’t think we ever did see the sun in Portsmouth.  It rained and was foggy for days.  

Tuesday 6/02 - Portsmouth, VA (Tidewaters Marina) - stay over day…

Woke up late (9:00) and Harry already had the salon floor up and he was down in the engine room checking the generator.  I packed up all my goodies and headed out on my bike.  I had noticed last night on our golf cart ride that the town was full of historic homes and had a rich downtown - again, i road up and down all the streets in the historic district.  I’m right now sitting in the corner of a little coffee shop with my iced mocha latte (i never know what to order) trying to write and NOT meddle in all the conversations going on around me….two guys meeting with a town lawyer about a new business, one loud woman talking about going to the dentist, and two coast guard people talking about selling their home because of being restationed to Texas…and some people just have voices that shriek and scrape on your nerves….don’t they know?  Shouldn’t they whisper?

  

I always imagined that on days off i’d travel into town and hang out…it feels good to be off the boat and with other people.  I think i’ll just stay put for a bit because it’s thundering and dark outside.  i have to say we’ve been amazingly lucky - we’ve not had any rain when traveling.  and a rainy day on our day off is heavenly - that means i can take a nap and not feel guilty.  

It appears that everything i’ve learned up to now re: navigation and chart reading will change now that the ICW has ended.  Going forward we will be crushing in either bays or the ocean and reading water markers on the charts will be different in these waters.  So part of our lay over day will be spent on looking at charts.  So signing off to attend my chart reading class with Captain Harry…lord, give me strength....   

Stay tuned for the next few days itinerary.  

Ahoy mates!!

Monday 6/01 - Coinjock, NC to Norfolk, VA (Tidewaters Marina, Portsmouth, VA)

Easy run today - so i decided to do some writing on the aft deck.  I usually don't like to be down below writing while traveling, afraid i might miss something...but today was slow and easy and fun to be able to sightsee and write at the same time.

Soon there was a lot to look at as we neared Norfolk and all the ship yards, navy ships, and coast guard boats.  We passed a HUGE air craft carrier - looked like a new one - so i was standing up on the fly bridge taking pictures and a small security boat sped out to our boat and started yelling, ‘no pictures, no pictures!!!’  so when later i saw helicopters hovering over us at the marina i thought they were after me to confiscate my camera…until i realized all the others (tons of them - low and loud) and knew they must be practicing.   So i thought i’d share my picture with all of you so we’d all be in trouble together…  :)

A golf cart took us to dinner in town and we found a wonderful restaurant called Still and since I knew we had a day off tomorrow i ordered a martini. fun night!

Sunday 5/31 - Bellhaven, NC to Coinjock, NC (Coinjock Marina and Restaurant)

As usual, after i finish my chores (pull up and put away the fenders, tie up the stern, spring and bow lines, and batten down the hatches down below) i take my coffee to the bow and just sit, meditate, practice mindfulness, gather my thoughts, recall my dreams, what ever comes to mind….this morning i was fascinated by the early sun light hitting the water.  I tried to imagine what i would think was happening if i did not know it was sunshine reflecting off the water.  it looked like sparks jumping out of the water - exactly what a sparkler produces…i wondered if a video could convey what i was seeing - and a photo I knew would just paralyze the sparks.  it was very beautiful.  This thought came and went as most do…..

Our cruise to Coinjock was LONG…..we headed out about 830 and did not arrive until 530.   We were traveling through what i call big water….it seemed we were in the ocean because not much land in sight but we were actually in the Pamlico Sound which is a very large body of water.  I didn’t take any pictures and just read a lot.  

Teresa’s book, Hungry Mother Creek, continued to amaze me in the fact that she was writing about such familiar places (Oriental, NC and all the restaurants we’d been to) and such familiar topics - women's circles/groups, the power of intuition and becoming mindful.  This book allowed me to think about all the wonderful work i’ve completed with my beautiful women friends and thought how I was so proud to have been a part of such powerful groups as our Artist Way group and the Dream Group.  It rekindled my desire to rejoin upon my return home.  That was the serendipitous message i felt I was supposed to receive by introducing myself to Teresa in the restaurant that evening...but there was more.  

And on a side note, while we’re talking about serendipity, listen to this one - a couple of years ago I was laying on my couch looking through a book that my ex-mother-in-law had given me (a book she no longer wanted so she sent it forward).  This book was entitled, The Artist’s Way….i was very intrigued by it and then the phone rang and i was so attached to the book that i let the call go to voice mail.   a bit later i go to retrieve the voice message and it’s my dear friend Fonda, and she’s inviting me to attend a group that’s meeting to read a book called, The Artist’s Way.  No way…  Way!!!  it’s hard to believe but true.  While i was reading the book, Fonda was calling me about that book.  Needless to say I accepted the invite and it was my first women’s circle/group and i feel it changed my life in various ways.  Thank you Fonda for inviting me and thank you Kelly for facilitating the group. 

My charting station is below, out of the wind, while en route.

And back to my current serendipitous occurrence and why i’m bringing all this up in the first place.  As i was finishing Teresa’s book, a passage near the end gave me a start.  It read….’She looked toward to water and it sparkled with thousands of tiny diamonds created by the early morning sun.’  The same damn thought i had had earlier this morning!!!!  coincidence, i prefer to think not.

i plan to email Teresa and tell her i enjoyed her book (and wondering if i should tell her about all the typos i found - maybe a dozen!! - no editor i guess since the book was self-published), talk about my women’s groups and see what transpires.  

okay, back to cruising….and the last 2 hours were really rough waters - i had to stay seated or move very low to get around.  the high winds and waves were hitting us starboard side and at one point i started reading the chart as i usually do and immediately knew i could not do that right now..and the nausea set in a bit.  and when you can’t read or easily move around all you can do is try NOT to focus on how you’re feeling.  

We finally got out of the sound and into a smaller channel as we approached Coinjock and the waters settled down considerably.   And soon I was back to normal and hungry.  Harry had prime rib and I had cobia.

Saturday 5/30 - River Dunes (Oriental), NC to Bellhaven, NC (River Forest Manor Marina)

I believe in serendipity, or you may call it happenstance or coincidence.  While in Oriental the other night at dinner, there was an attractive woman sitting two tables over and facing me.  We connected in that easy, womanly way when your eyes meet and all that’s offered is slight smile.  As the night went on a table full of folks sat down beside her table and introductions were made and i heard a gentleman say of my new friend, ‘this is the author i was telling you about’.   As Betty Ann can tell you, i am one of the best meddlers around. Betty Ann and I can be out to dinner and she’ll look at me and say, 'you’re meddling aren’t you?'  i guess i get this far away ‘do not disturb’ look on my face while i’m trying to hear what’s going on at the next table.  Anyway,… I soon learned (all from  eavesdropping) that she was a new author of a book about the area.  SOOOO, when we left i headed over to her table to say i’d heard she was a new author, congratulated her and asked if it was her first and what was her process and how long it took, etc… She said it had taken her 7 years to complete.  She asked if i was a writer and i said yes (well, she didn’t ask if i was an author, just if i was a writer and i do write…..a, a, a blog).  She said just keep at it and good luck and she handed me her card.  Her name was Heather and her book was entitled Hungry Mother Creek.  How could you not like someone named ‘Heather’….So  i downloaded her book on my new kindle - :)  thanks again, girls.  

It as an easy run today - meaning 4 hours of cruising.  And i sat up top on the fly bridge w/ Harry but read Heather’s book most of the day.

I learned upon checking in at the marina that they had a free golf cart and free laundry!!!!  i LOVE golf carts - so i grabbed what laundry i did have, got that washing, then Harry and I took off in the golf cart.  Bellhaven’s downtown is tiny and we covered most of the streets in less than 30 minutes.  stopped by a local hangout for a hamburger and then went across the street to the hardware store (it felt good just to look around at ‘stuff’…obviously this place was run by a husband/wife because half of the shop was antiques and really nice stuff), then peeked into a darling place where we planned to have dinner - Spoon River Restaurant.  

This restaurant is the BEST, perhaps only reason to stop by Bellhaven - it was SO good and SO fun and SO cool.  It’s wonderful when you can top off a day on the water with a great meal.  How’d you like those adjectives - pretty original huh?  could never be a food critic…’it was good, fun, cool, it was yum yum…. ‘

beef tenderloin with a blue cheese fondue dip

River Forest Manor Marina