Passing Fort McHenry Just South of Baltimore Harbor....Where During the War of 1812 the British Navy Was Repulsed & Francis Scott Key Penned the Words for Our National Anthem |
By
early afternoon the clouds had cleared and we were treated to another very
pleasant day for cruising…..bright sun, light breezes, temps hovering around
80F. Once we reached Chesapeake Bay and
got south of Annapolis the vessel traffic lightened considerably.
A View from Our Anchorage in Broad Creek Looking Back South Towards Its Entrance at Chesapeake Bay |
The
trek south to Broad Creek on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake took us about
six hours and then at least another hour to backtrack to the northeast and up
to the St. Michael’s anchorage area. But
it was worth the detour….the big creek was twisting but wide and with adequate
depth, and very quiet, even on a sunny Sunday afternoon. We dropped the hook about ¾ of a mile south
of St. Michaels in a wide curve of the creek in about 10 feet of water, and got
a good set on the anchor. After the sun
had set the cool temps allowed us to open up the boat and spend a very pleasant
night without running the generator.
Departing Ghost Rider and Heading to St. Michaels |
That
afternoon we took another dinghy ride up to St. Michaels and walked into town. We stopped at The Galley for lunch and on
their shaded outdoor dining deck munched on a (very good) BLT and some
quesadillas accompanied by a Bloody Mary and a white Sangria. It’s one of those family owned and operated
eateries open only for breakfast and lunch, and where you can sense the pride
in the preparation and presentation.
Originally
settled back in the mid 1600’s this small (population under 2,000) charming
harbor town has preserved it history and architecture over the centuries, and
beckons many Bay area visitors. St. Michael's red brick sidewalks are lined with numerous shops and restaurants where
just about any type of food fare is available, but of course the locally caught
fresh fish, crabs and oysters are featured.
All Residences in St. Michaels are Well-Kept.....and This One Invites All Passersby to Tour Their Back Yard Garden. Note the Signage. |
Just Walking the Streets of Picturesque St. Michael's Can Occupy An Entire Day |
The Boat Shop Barn at the Maritime Museum Where Numerous Build and Restoration Projects Are Always Underway |
The Hooper Straight Lighthouse Restored & Relocated to the Maritime Museum |
By
late afternoon we were tiring – especially after stopping for a Margarita and a
Chardonnay at The Crab Claw – so we hiked back through town and back to the
dinghy dock, returning to Ghost Rider to
spend a relaxing evening. We ran the genset for a few hours to recharge the
house batteries, then after an excellent steak dinner shut it down and opened
up the boat again. We completed the day
on the fly bridge with a drink under a clear and starry sky (and a cigar for
Rick), followed by a peaceful and comfortable night’s sleep.
We
ran the water maker for several hours as we had depleted the tanks quite a bit,
using an unusual amount to wash off the mud from the chain and anchor as we
retrieved it – we probably should have had a dredging permit given the amount
of muck that came up stuck to our ground tackle. During one of our engine room checks Rick
noted that one of the water maker’s small hoses was dripping water in the area
of its quick-connector; we couldn’t thwart the minor leak with any of our
adjustments, so Rick wrapped it with some Rescue Tape as a temporary measure.
Bay
waters presented only a light wind chop to our stern so it was a smooth ride in
the open waters. Unfortunately our
forward speed matched the following wind velocity, so we did not have much of a
comforting breeze as the temps climbed back into the 80’s. Likewise that dead zone on and in the boat
created a favored gathering place for flies – lots of them, and the kind that
bite. And none of our bug sprays seemed
to be any deterrent.
Chelle
handled most of the helm duties this day, taking Ghost Rider away from the dock at AYB and docking us up at Coinjock,
all of which went without any stress. By
1640 we were all tucked in. We enjoyed a variety of shrimp, clams and fresh Tilefish for dinner at the marina’s restaurant, watched some playoff baseball and called it a night.
The
morning of Monday, 08-October,
dawned clear, humid and with temps in the mid 70’s with a light breeze out of
the east, and we were actually awake and already in the pilot house to see the
sunrise. We wanted to get an early start
for the longer run to River Dunes in Oriental.
We had enjoyed a very calm night hanging on the hook with the boat open
to the outside air, and Ghost Rider
had remained firmly planted, swinging only slightly.
We
started off Wednesday, 10-October
with breakfast at the marina’s Yawl’s CafĂ©, where the coffee, French toast and
omelets helped everyone recover from the night before. Afterwards it was time for Billy and Becky to
return to their home in Raleigh so they could prepare their place for the
coming storm. Mike and Mari, having just
completed cleanups to their boat and home after Hurricane Florence had recently
pounded and flooded this area, needed to do the same for their home.
Our
excellent weather continued on Tuesday,
02-October, with a perfectly clear and sunny sky, temps in the low 70’s and
a light southerly breeze. After coffee
and breakfast Chelle was gone for the day, taking the dinghy back into St.
Michaels for a day of browsing and shopping.
Rick stayed aboard, partly to avoid the shopping expedition, but also to
tend to various small chores – recharging the batts, updating the blog, and placing
orders for some supplies to be delivered at one of our upcoming
ports-of-call. He also spent some time
transferring fuel from our two aft fuel tanks to the forward tanks – a slow
process given the rather weak flow rate of our fuel transfer pump, so that took
most of the afternoon.
Chelle
returned to the boat around 1530 – tired but pleased with her shopping finds,
one of those being a very nice bottle of dark rum from one of the local St.
Michael's distilleries. Around 1700 we
cranked up the generator again, mainly to power up the davit crane so we could
retrieve the dinghy and park it back on its boat deck berth, but also to top
off the house batts for another night at anchor without running the generator. We enjoyed another quiet dinner and peaceful
night on the hook, but were ready to move on.
The
morning of Wednesday, 03-October greeted
us with perfect weather – clear skies, pleasant temps in the low 70’s with light
and variable breezes. We retrieved the
anchor and by 0915 we were underway once again, headed to the other side of the
Bay and a bit further south to the St. Mary’s River. The Bay waters were glass-flat….one could
have gone water skiing out there. It was
a fine day to take helm duties on the fly bridge, it couldn’t have been a
smoother ride.
Another Nice Sunset, This One in a Protected Bay Just to the West of the St. Marys River |
We
reached the entrance to St. Mary’s River around 1600, had the anchor set by
1630 and the dinghy splashed by 1700.
Chelle went to shore for some walking exercise while Rick handled the
usual engine room and lazarette post-flight checks. Around 1900 we jumped in the tender and
zipped across St. George Creek to the nearby Ruddy Duck Brewery and Grill for a
casual dinner ashore.
A View of Ghost Rider at Anchor Just After Sunset as We Departed in the Dinghy to Grab a Meal at the Ruddy Duck Restaurant |
When
we returned to the boat we ran the genset and kept Ghost Rider closed up for a while….temps were mild enough, but we
had bugs in droves – gnats, flies, noseeums and mosquitos. We’re not campers, so we turned on the A/C
and stayed comfy. A couple of hours
later as temps lowered a bit more we powered down but only opened windows and
portals that had screens, and had a mostly bug-less experience. Rick fell asleep watching the MLB wildcard
game between the Yanks and the A’s….it was a good night.
We
slept in a bit the morning of Thursday,
04-October since we had a fairly short run to make – under 50 nautical
miles. After Chelle returned from
another trip to shore for her morning walk we winched the dinghy back up to the
boat deck, retrieved the anchor (much cleaner than the previous day) and got
underway around 1030. We had starting weather
and sea conditions identical to the day before – just about perfect. It was a bit humid but nothing to complain
about once we got the boat-induced sea breeze going.
The
southerly breeze picked up to around 12 knots later in the afternoon giving us
a one to two foot chop on the nose with the attendant whitecaps, but the ride
remained comfortable. And the air temps
continued to warm as well, finally getting back into the low 90’s by day’s end.
We
entered the mouth of the Piankatak River just before 1600, turned south around
Cherry Point and dropped the anchor in Hills Bay. By 1630 we had Ghost Rider secured for the evening. It was quite warm down below so we cranked
up the generator and A/C and closed up the boat to cool things down. With a decent breeze the bugs were at a
minimum so we slept comfortably without the A/C.
Friday, 05-October brought us another good weather morning….clear with a
northeast breeze and temperature in the mid 70’s. We had a longer day in front of us for the
run to Atlantic Yacht Basin, along with a couple of bridges and a lock to
negotiate, so we got an earlier start, pulling up the anchor by 0830 (fairly
clean this time) and pointing Ghost Rider
south once again.
Passing Through the Norfolk Area....Quite a Few Arleigh Burke Class Guided Missile Destroyers Moored Along This Stretch |
Eventually
we departed Chesapeake Bay turning to the west into the James River and
then down towards Norfolk and the beginning of the AICW, getting a bit more
breeze going over the boat in the process….and somewhat fewer flying bugs as
the winds clocked around to the east.
Eventually we came to the Great Bridge lock
and bridge and managed – with a long and fairly aggressive wide open throttle run – to hit the next
lock-through at exactly the right time so we didn’t have to dawdle
in a holding pattern. After passing through
the lock and then under the opened bascule bridge we arrived at Atlantic Yacht
Basin at 1630, then docked up, cleaned up, and retrieved packages from the AYB
office. Chelle rode her e-bike into town
to pick up a few needed provisions while Rick completed the wash-down and
post-flight checklists. And then we
relaxed with a quiet dinner aboard Ghost
Rider.
We had a short run the next day, Saturday, 06-October, so we weren’t in a big hurry to get moving. The day started with clear skies, mild but humid, and a light northeast breeze. Rick took advantage of the AYB marina’s nearby fuel dock and good prices to fill the dinghy’s two five gallon reserve gas cans, while Chelle hauled one of our empty LPG tanks up the road to get that refilled.
Locking Through Great Bridge |
We had a short run the next day, Saturday, 06-October, so we weren’t in a big hurry to get moving. The day started with clear skies, mild but humid, and a light northeast breeze. Rick took advantage of the AYB marina’s nearby fuel dock and good prices to fill the dinghy’s two five gallon reserve gas cans, while Chelle hauled one of our empty LPG tanks up the road to get that refilled.
At
high noon we pushed off from the dock and continued the trek down the ICW
towards Coinjock, NC. We had two bridges
to negotiate in the first hour but timed those fairly well, encountering only
nominal loiter time. By midafternoon the
temps were in the low 80’s, still humid, and we had a broken cloud cover that
filtered the sun with only occasional glimpses of blue patches. But it was a comfortable day on the fly bridge.
Chelle at the Fly Bridge Helm Taking Ghost Rider Through One of the Bridges Between AYB and Coinjock |
Our
planned route for Sunday, 07-October
would take us further south into the Alligator River for another night at
anchor. We started out with broken cloud
cover again but no precipitation and a pleasant breeze from the east with temps
in the low 80’s. After Chelle returned
from her walk and Rick had replaced some burned out deck courtesy lights we got
underway, thrusting away from the dock just before 1030.
Our Alligator River Anchorage Looking at the Eastern Shoreline. That Black Ball on the Bow Pulpit is Our Anchor Day Shape. |
We
had only one bridge to wait on and saw very little ICW vessel traffic along the
way. By 1630 we had reached our planned
anchorage, set the hook, engaged the snubber, and cranked up the generator and
A/C units. It had warmed into the
mid-to-upper 80’s as the cloud cover broke up some and it was humid, so the air
conditioning felt good. Our chosen anchorage
site in a bend of the Alligator River was in the lee of the eastern shoreline,
so even with the stiffening breeze we rode smoothly on the anchor – and there
was little to no passing traffic on the nearby ICW.
We enjoyed an evening winding down on the fly bridge with our favorite drinks (and a cigar for Rick), bid adieu to the sun as it set behind a low line of low clouds to the west, then went below for a quiet dinner and some book / TV time.
We enjoyed an evening winding down on the fly bridge with our favorite drinks (and a cigar for Rick), bid adieu to the sun as it set behind a low line of low clouds to the west, then went below for a quiet dinner and some book / TV time.
Sunset Was a Bit Obscured at the Alligator River Anchorage But Still Picturesque from Our Fly Bridge Perch |
By
0800 we had completed pre-flights, had our wake up coffee and had pulled up the
anchor and were underway. We continued
to keep a close eye on a tropical system spooling up in the Caribbean and
heading for the Gulf of Mexico….destined to be Hurricane Michael. The forecast track wasn’t looking good for
the panhandle of Florida, where they were looking at the distinct probability
of being whacked by a Cat-4 storm. Our
attention was on the forecast for the days following landfall, where NHC was
predicting a path right over us and winds still at tropical storm strength. We had certainly been though worse, but we
still wanted to be in a sheltered place, and River Dunes fit the bill well with its inland location, enclosed basin and floating docks.
The USCG Station on the ICW at Hobucken, NC....Gives You An Idea of Just How Boring This Stretch of Water Is |
Likewise,
by the time we would make Oriental, Ghost
Rider would be due for some scheduled care and feeding – primarily oil and
filter changes on both the main engine and the generator. That’s always less of a hassle when docked up
in a secure area where we could take our time and also dispose of the waste
oil.
The
ride down this stretch of the ICW was as expected….smooth, comfy, boring. For our boating friends in Florida, this
ribbon of water is very much like transiting Lake Okeechobee and the ditch on
either side of that pond…..mostly canal-like straightaways interrupted by
occasional river bends and intermittent lake-like expanses. And the water depths are similar, too. We did start to encounter some of the debris
expected from the Hurricane Florence flooding and runoff, but most were easy to
spot and it certainly wasn’t a case of numerous dodges.
Becky, Billy & Rick at the Toucan Grill |
About
the time we hit the wide expanse of the Pamlico River the winds had picked up
to around 15-20 knots out of the southeast, and with its 35 mile exposure to
the fetch we suddenly went from a smooth and protected ride to punching into
three foot rollers at one second intervals quartering on the bow. In a smaller boat it was the kind of
washboard surface that would make your eyeballs juggle and teeth rattle. Ghost
Rider didn’t much care but we did take considerable spray. When we finally turned in towards Cedar Point
and the entrance to River Dunes around 1615 we were able to put the chop to our
stern.
Chelle
handled the docking duties at the helm again and brought us in to the alongside
tie at the transient floating t-head dock around 1630. After our post-flight checks the boat got a
much needed wash down and so did we.
Then it was social and relaxation time with our good friends, Billy and
Becky Edge, who had driven down from Raleigh for a visit. We piled into their car and had a casual
dinner on the outside deck at the Toucan Grill, then enjoyed a late happy hour
at the cabin they had rented at River Dunes.
Mike, Rick, Mari, Chelle, Becky & Billy at The Silos Pizza Joint |
Most
of the day Tuesday, 09-October, was boat chore day. In addition to A/C and water maker strainer
cleaning, both the generator and the main engine were due for their respective
200 and 250 hour oil and filter changes.
Billy came over to assist and that certainly made it easier, but those
along with the genset Racor filter change still took us until 1400 to
complete. Afterwards Billy, Becky and
Chelle drove into town to check out storm damage from the previous hurricane (Florence) while Rick continued to finish some
more boat chores – cleaning throttle linkages and transferring more fuel from
the aft tanks to the forward tanks.
That
evening we got back together with Billy and Becky and joined Mike and Mari
Zimet, owners of the Nordhavn 47 Mari Mi,
for a pizza party at The Silos restaurant.
Afterwards we all headed back to Ghost
Rider for drinks, watched the Red Sox eliminate the Yankees, and ended up
partying until just past midnight as the alcohol flowed freely.
Mari, Chelle and Becky Partying on Ghost Rider |
Ghost Rider at the Transient T-Head with All Storm Preps Completed |
We
returned to the boat to make our own storm preps. While we were expecting only tropical storm
wind speeds, we still doubled up our lines, put out extra fenders, rolled up and
taped the Bimini top, covered the fly bridge and dinghy, then lowered and
secured all the antennae. After stowing
and securing all other loose deck items, we were ready to deal with whatever
came our way courtesy of Hurricane Michael.
Late that afternoon Rick and Chelle hopped aboard N47 Mari Mi to help Mike move his boat to a more secure dock; one of the pilings at his original slip had been damaged in Hurricane Florence, and nobody wanted to test its holding power in this next blow. After helping Mike double-tie and fender his boat we retreated back to Ghost Rider for a quiet evening and to watch more of the storm coverage. The GFS and Euro weather models were coming into agreement and predicting arrival here Thursday afternoon, so we still had the next morning to make any final adjustments. We'll tack on an update to this blog posting once the storm passes.