September 2018: Hanging Out Around DC

The National Harbor Waterfront District is Dotted with Numerous Statues.
Here: Churchill, FDR & Rosie the Riveter

Just as with the prior day, the weather on Sunday, 09-September, was exactly as predicted….which is to say pretty crappy.  Rain chances had been pegged near 100% with temps in the 60’s and a stout 15 MPH breeze from the east, and that’s pretty much what we got.  Perhaps eventually we would start pining for the sunny and hot days of the previous weeks, but for now we were content to cool off.

Rick spent the day onboard and dry – loading routes into the ship’s PC, backing up that computer, checking weather forecasts (all ugly), repairing a sagging ceiling panel, and catching up with the MLB pennant races and some boring NFL games. Chelle, not capable of sitting still for very long, braved the raw weather and scouted out the local water taxi tours to Alexandria and DC proper.

Another Interesting Sculpture at National Harbor.  This One, Called
"The Awakening", is Not Supposed to be Under Water.

By the time sunset arrived the only real concern was the rising water level (the predicted vs. actual tide level showed us at +3.5 feet above the norm) especially in relation to the marina dock’s power junction box – that thing has been mounted way too close to the nominal water line; and the cumulative rainfall, resultant runoff and tidal swings might put that box under water.  There was some debate as whether the marina would need to cut power because of that.  It would not be a huge deal for us since we could just power up the generator and keep systems running, and the main thing was the floating docks here could withstand another six or seven feet before their pilings would succumb to high water.  The approaching hurricane might test that, although it wasn’t likely, so for now we were good.

While it rained a bit more overnight, the morning of Monday, 10-September started dry if quite grey with a low overcast – we could hear the aircraft on final to Reagan National but we couldn’t see them.  We tended to some minor storm preps (stowing deck items, topping off water tanks), enjoyed a relaxed brunch on board, and then hosted a brief visit from some friends of Chelle who coincidentally were attending a convention at the Gaylord Resort just east of the marina.

View of the US Capitol Building from Mid-Mall.  Rumor Has It In Ancient
Times Intelligent Discourse & Lawmaking Used to Occur Here.

We spent the rest of the day being tourists.  While we had wanted to take the water taxi into DC, that fleet had been sidelined by the inordinately high water levels, putting some of their moorings at risk.  So instead we engaged Uber for a ride into town to visit the National Mall.  There we indulged in admiring some of the capitol’s more famous monuments. Yes, we had both visited them some years ago, but this seemed a good time to reacquaint ourselves with a few of the most influential figures in our country’s history (Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln) and recall what leadership and statesmanship used to look like.

The 555' Tall Washington Monument Honors the First U.S. President....Completed in
1888, at the Time It Was the World's Tallest Structure. It Is Currently Closed for Renovations.

The Lincoln Memorial, Dedicated in 1922, Honors Our Country's 16th President, Who Faced the Daunting
Task of Preserving the Union via a Devastating Civil War.

Inside the Memorial is the Imposing -- 19 Feet High -- Sculpture of President Lincoln.

The Front of the Jefferson Memorial Honors the Third President of the U.S.  It Was Not Completed Until 1943
During the FDR Administration.  The 19 Foot High Bronze Statue Inside Wasn't Added Until 1947.

We also took considerable time to tour the adjacent World War II and Vietnam Veterans Memorials, also located there on the National Mall and newly erected since our last visit here.  While those conflicts are at opposite ends of a spectrum, we have close personal connections to both and the motivations of the individuals involved in them; and are pleased the equal sacrifices have been recognized and mostly appreciated.

The World War II Memorial with the Lincoln Memorial in the Background.  It Was Originally Funded During the
Clinton Administration But Not Completed & Dedicated Until the Bush Presidency in 2004.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Consists of Two Polished Black Granite Walls, Each at 247 Feet Long, and
Which Are Inscribed with the Names of  the 58,318 Who Perished in That Conflict.

 As centrally located those monuments are, that still involved a lot of walking; by mid-afternoon we were tired and hungry so we detoured over to GW University and the kitschy “&Pizza” for some flatbread pizza for lunch.  After that break Rick insisted we make one more stop before retreating to the boat – and of course that was at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.  The Smithsonian complex (aka the “nation’s attic”) has numerous museums across a wide and eclectic spectrum of historical interests, but having visited all of them previously the one that draws us back is Air & Space.  The technology, daring, dedication to service and just plain sexiness of what is displayed there is worth repeat visits for us.  And the photo opps are fabulous.

A Douglass DC-3 Hangs in the Main Lobby

Rick and His Dad Used To Spend Days Browsing & Discussing All the Displays
in the National Air & Space Museum.

As we tired eventually we had to cop an Uber ride back to the boat and our recliners. The rain continued to hold off during the evening and, while keeping a wary eye on the progression and path of Hurricane Florence, we concluded a busy day by enjoying another peaceful evening aboard Ghost Rider.

National Harbor Doesn't Lack for Interesting Restaurants

On Tuesday, 11-September, we slept in and were greeted by another grey, dreary day and occasional sprinkles.  The forecasts for Hurricane Florence had not changed much, still estimated to make landfall near the border of South and North Carolina as a Category 3 storm….although the probability cone still extended as far south as Charleston and as far north as Norfolk.  Wind and rain impacts would span a much broader area.  Our plan remained the same: stay here. 

The afternoon was mostly dry, so Chelle launched her e-bike and made a grocery run inland to Aldi’s.  Rick took a stroll around the Harbor area to visit a couple of stores, hit the ATM and grab a lobster roll for lunch at nearby Mason’s.  But otherwise it was a lazy lay-back-and-wait period for us.

Weather-wise the morning of Wednesday, 12-September, looked like the previous four mornings – grey and misty.  Temperatures, however, were finally rising into the low 80’s, making the humid air less appealing.  We took care of a few routine boat chores in the morning (cleaning sea strainers) and continued to monitor the progress of Hurricane Florence.  It wasn’t looking good for the Carolinas but the local outlook was improving a bit as a result.

A Rare Glimpse of Mostly Clear Sky Above Ghost Rider
at National Harbor Marina

By mid-afternoon a strange yellow ball appeared in the sky, which we later recognized as the sun.  So around 1500 we walked to the nearby Pier House to check out their happy hour cocktails and appetizers (all good).  Surprisingly the weather had remained good all afternoon – we could see cumulonimbus clouds surrounding us but we seemed to be in the quiet center for the time being.  It was a pleasant change that we appreciated and enjoyed.

By the time Thursday, 13-Setember dawned the sun had performed is disappearing act again as the low, grey overcast returned.  Florence had reduced in strength ever so slightly to a Category 2 hurricane, but was still tracking relentlessly towards the Carolinas (and in doing so, staying away from us.)  Rick handled some more routine boat maintenance items in the morning, but in the afternoon we went back to being tourists.

Street View of Old Alexandria, Virginia

River waters had receded enough to allow the water taxis to resume normal operations, so we hopped on one for the short cruise over to old Alexandria on the opposite river bank.  We strolled historic King Street for a while and then used the free trolley to ride to the west end of the avenue to tour the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.  Initially proposed back in the 1850’s construction didn’t actually begin on this imposing structure until the 1920’s and was completed in 1932. While Freemasonry is usually miscast and misunderstood, and Washington’s degree of involvement is debatable, one of the main reasons the Masons wanted this structure was to preserve the many forms of authentic Washington memorabilia in their possession (having experienced several lodge fires previously where much of it had been lost.)  It does that much well.

The George Washington Masonic National Memorial

We concluded our brief visit to Alexandria with happy hour drinks at Bugsy’s bar, and then hopped the river taxi back to National Harbor for dinner at Rosa Mexicana….good food, excellent salsa and Margaritas.

Late that night we took another check on Florence as it approached North Carolina.  It had degraded as far as wind speed – down to a Category 1 storm – but was still going to produce prodigious surge and rainfall.  Our friends Mike and Mari had evacuated from River Dunes but had left their Nordhavn 47, Mari Mi, at the marina and were hoping for the best.  Ron and Mercedes had their N47, Moonrise, tied up as best they could manage just outside of Charleston, hoping the storm would stay just to their north.  Paul and DeeDee down in Edisto were all boarded up and hopeful that the current forecast track would just miss them, too.  It was a tense time and not a particularly restful night.

As of 13-Sep the Tropical Atlantic Was a Complete Mess & the Carolinas Were Getting Hammered

Friday, 14-September, looked like all the previous mornings here at National Harbor, overcast with occasional mist, with temps hovering in the 70’s and humidity to match.  More of the blah.  Florence had finally made landfall in North Carolina near Wilmington and slowed to a ponderous crawl; while winds had decreased considerably to a low-end Category 1 storm the thing was in the process of dumping a year’s worth of rain in the span of a few days.

In studying the local weather forecast it appeared that we had about a 2 day window of relatively benign conditions starting the next day, so we made plans to sortie back down river towards the Chesapeake Bay.  The general idea was to reach Solomons Island in the Patuxent River by Sunday night before the weather turned ugly again.  This time it would be from the remnants of Florence as it finally turned to the northeast, but probably only for a couple days.

The Red Line Shows Our Intended Path from DC, Down River to the Chesapeake, then to Solomons
and Annapolis, and Finally Into Baltimore for Trawler Fest

 Our basic longer term plan still remained the same – to be in Baltimore on or around 23-September to attend some Trawler Fest classes the week of 24-September.  Here in the DC area we were only about a 30 minute Uber ride away from Baltimore.  But it would take us several days to boat our way back down the Potomac, into Chesapeake Bay, make stops at Solomons and Annapolis, and finally chug up to Baltimore.  This would be akin to driving from Fort Worth to Dallas….by way of Chicago.  Sometimes such is trawler life.

Rick busied himself with departure preps – loading routes, updating the GRIB file and Active Captain database, preflighting the engine room and lazarette – plus some minor boat cleaning chores.  We also topped off water tanks again and placed a slew of online supply orders to be delivered to us in Baltimore.  Chelle went for a spin on her e-bike, eventually ending up on the other side of the river to get a rusted brake cable replaced at a bike shop over there, then also grabbed a few more groceries at Whole Foods (Rick did not ask why.)  

We stowed the bike and hoses back aboard, and by happy hour we had everything ready for Ghost Rider to sortie the next morning.

More Statues at National Harbor....This One Marilyn Monroe

And One of Louie Armstrong

And Rick Pretending to be a Statue

September 2018: Chesapeake & The Potomac

Ghost Rider Comfortably Hanging on Her Hook at
Horseshoe Bend in the St. Mary's River

We had our usual laid back morning on Monday, 03-September.  The anchor had stayed where we had dropped it and it looked to be another warm and sunny day ahead.  We got through our normal checks in the pilot house and engine room in short order, and performed a quick weather check – the tropics were heating up again but locally things looked good for the next several days.  It was time to launch the tender and explore.

Just as we were getting to launch the dinghy we received a visit (via their own dinghy), from Don and Debra McCarty, who happened to be out for a spin and recognized a fellow Nordhavn.  They own N55, Mondai Nai, (Japanese for ‘no problem’) and live in the general area but were exercising their Nordy with some local gunkholing.  We had a nice if brief visit, and decided we would reconnect that evening for a happy hour event.

St. Mary's College Boasts a Fine Marina Facility for a
Modest Student Population

Early that afternoon we launched our tender and after verifying its systems, we headed out on an expeditionary run in the local waterways.  First stop was nearby St. Mary’s College and township.  We walked the small but picturesque liberal arts campus for about an hour, learning some interesting historical lessons along the way.  St. Mary’s was originally settled in the early 1600’s (the first colony in Maryland) and eventually became the first capitol of Maryland until that was moved to Annapolis in 1695.  The college was founded in 1840 and remains viable and vibrant today; although its total enrollment stands at only 1,800 students, last year it was ranked as the sixth best "Public Liberal Arts College" in the U.S.  It certainly has an enviable private marina with all sorts of watercraft available to its students, many of whom were enjoying watersports on this very hot Labor Day holiday.

A Replica of an Early Settelement Built on the St. Mary's College Campus

When the still air and heat got to us we headed back to the dinghy to get some artificial wind going.  Chelle piloted us down river back towards the south and along the west side of the St. Mary’s River and then into one of the westerly channels to explore a small marina and potential restaurant.  After that we headed back towards the boat, but this time up the eastern shore of the river, past the USCG station and back to Ghost Rider.

We got cleaned up and then took the tender upriver a short way to find Mondai Nai’s anchorage spot and joined Don and Debra for an enjoyable happy hour, swapping boat stories and learning more about mutual friends.  We retired to Ghost Rider just after sunset for dinner aboard, celebrated our 24^th anniversary and called it a night.

A Shot of Mondai Nai as We Approach in Our Dinghy

Tuesday, 04-September, was another lazy day.  It was already hot by the time we arose, with nearly calm conditions and mostly clear skies.  The anchor and its snubber continued to hold firm.  We worked on the next couple of routes for the boat’s Nobeltec navigation computer and got those uploaded in preparation for tomorrow’s departure.  But during that process Rick discovered the Windows 10 OS on the ship’s PC was trying to upgrade itself to the next rev of the OS.  That’s generally a bad idea while you’re underway (especially on a slow cellular Internet connection) as you risk bricking the computer; we always have the Furuno MFDs as backup, but it’s a lot more convenient to plot and load everything via the Nobeltec PC and let the Furuno units get it from there.

Another Nice Sunset at Horsehoe Bend, St. Mary's River, MD

It took Rick a while to figure out how to interrupt the annoying Microsoft big brother process and then disable that upgrade service (again - we had gone through this once before a couple months ago.)  But he finally got it blocked.  In the interim Chelle took the dinghy for another excursion up and down the St. Mary’s River, checking out a couple of marinas and a restaurant at the far south end nearer the Potomac.  Unfortunately the local eateries were closed on Tuesdays, so we had to nix the dinner-via-tender plans, and instead enjoyed dinner on the boat, and a late happy hour on the fly bridge in dead calm conditions.

As We Cruised Down the St. Mary's River Towards the Potomac
We Passed The Maryland Dove from St. Mary's City As She Headed South

It was time for us to get moving again, so on the morning of Wednesday, 05-September we pulled up the anchor around 1000, headed back down the St. Mary’s River and then out into the Potomac.  We pointed Ghost Rider northwest up the big river, with the eventual objective of visiting the Washington DC area.  But today’s target was an intermediate anchorage about halfway to DC around an area called Fairview Beach, on the southern shore of the Potomac.

Overall it was about a 7 ½ hour cruise, under clear skies with temps in the 90’s once again and not much breeze (again.)  The river was flat as glass and nearly devoid of traffic.  We arrived at our planned anchorage area just before 1730, set the hook on the first try in about 10 feet of water, and settled in for a quiet evening.  There's isn't much around here.

Passing Quantico Marine Base Enroute DC....That's a V-22 Osprey
on Final Approach Trying to Figure Out How to Land.

We got underway the next morning (Thursday, 06-September) around 1030 and continued chugging northwards on the wide Potomac River.  Weather and water conditions were identical to the previous day (hot, calm) and we only had a short cruise of 35 NM to reach National Harbor Marina near Washington, DC.  We had a pushing current most of the way, motoring 8 to 9 knots at a loping 1400 RPM the entire way; during our daily WOT we even cracked the 11 knot barrier.  Once again there wasn't much to see in this area.  However, we did pass by the Quantico Marine base where Rick got a kick out of watching a V-22 Osprey (LINK) trying to decide if it was a helicopter or a real airplane as it did some touch-and-go’s on the riverside runway.  We also noted that the further north we went, the bigger the occasional home was….more like expensive estates perched on bluffs.

Not a Lot to See Along the Northern Potomac, But There Are Some
Nice Estate Homes in the Area.

We entered the marina basin around 1445, maneuvered Ghost Rider stern-in to her assigned slip (thrusters really helped today in the current), and got tucked in.  The boat as well as the dinghy got a much needed hosing down after several days at anchor.  While Rick tended to some post-flight items Chelle went out for a walk in the heat of the afternoon….and pretty much got exhausted and lost trying to find a shortcut back to the marina.  Uber saved her day.

The National Harbor Marina Has Nice Floating Docks But Also a
180 Foot Ferris Wheel and an Outdoor Theater

We took a break that evening to tour the marina and adjacent facilities; more on those later, but as nice as Waterside was back in Norfolk, this place makes that look like a slum.  In addition to scores of restaurants, condos, stores and shops, they also boast a 180 foot tall Ferris wheel and their own big-screen outdoor theater.  Mostly, though, we were just looking for an eatery to grab dinner, and we found The Walrus Oyster and Ale House, where the seafood was quite good and the sangrias came in 50 ounce glasses.

We (well, at least Rick) slept in the morning of Friday, 07-September, which started just as sunny, hot and humid as the previous several days.  We had several routine boat maintenance items we wanted to get accomplished, so after a light breakfast we went to work on that stuff.  Wheelhouse had apprised us that annual davit (boat crane) maintenance was due, so Rick took care of that, plus some routine stuff on the dinghy – checking oil, battery, and adding fuel. 

Ghost Rider in Her Slip at National Harbor With the Capital Wheel in
the Background; It's Gondolas Are Fully Enclosed and Air Conditioned.

Additionally we spent time cleaning the horizontal surfaces of the boat’s exterior with “boat soap” – not something we typically like to do even though we use a very gelcoat-friendly mild detergent, but even with that it tends to remove wax. Nonetheless it was time to muscle away some embedded dirt and stains that had accumulated since we had the boat detailed back in February in Fort Myers, so we scrubbed and hosed.  Then Rick kept finding new things that needed attention (weathered hatch latches for the most part) and by the time all that was done it was late afternoon and weather was moving in.  The predicted cold front was arriving and with it thunder and lightning.  We lowered the big antennae, covered the fly bridge and stayed dry and comfy in the salon for the evening.

Oh Joy, Five Tropical Storms Pinballing Around the Atlantic

We awoke on Saturday, 08-September, to the predicted weather – overcast, cooler (70’s) with rain in the area but not overhead for the moment.  Chelle headed off to a yoga class while Rick studied the weather – mainly the Atlantic tropics, where storms were lining up like they were on a busy assembly line.  For the time being we appeared to be in a good place, being 140 miles from the nearest shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean; that said the NHC still seemed pretty clueless about Hurricane Florence’s track, and model guidance was literally all over the map.  For now we were staying right here as we didn’t trust the predicted tracks of the other two or three systems stacking up behind that one.

A Pic from the Apogee of the Ferris Wheel....You Can Just Make Out
the Washington Monument in the Distance

On her way back from the yoga session Chelle picked up brunch to go…eggs Benedict and French toast.  After Rick finished his morning projects we got cleaned up and got off the boat to do some local area touring.  First stop was the big Ferris wheel at the end of the marina pier where Rick overcame his fear of heights (yes, seems a bit strange for a pilot) and we went for six revolutions up to the 180 foot pinnacle.

The Brass Tap is a Happening Place With Lots of Brews

After that we went for a long stroll around the National Harbor township; luckily we had the umbrella handy as the low overcast proved to contain copious amounts of rain.  We were OK with that as the temps stayed in the 70’s and we were more than ready for a break from the weeks of summer heat.  During one particularly stout shower we ducked into The Brass Tap sports bar which boasts hundreds of brews (Rick liked the hoppy Heavy Seas “Loose Cannon” IPA as well as the baked cheesy bread.)  The rain wasn’t letting up much, so we retreated to the boat and enjoyed another quiet evening dockside.

Another Shot of National Harbor's Outdoor Theater....the Yoga Classes Are Held in the Same Locale
and Broadcast on the Big Screen.

A Shot of Ghost Rider's Slip From the Ferris Wheel

Aug-Sep 2018: From Norfolk & Into Chesapeake Bay

We Enjoyed Some Evening Time on the Fly Bridge at Waterside Marina

We had stayed up a bit late enjoying the music and dancing the night before so on the morning of Sunday, 26-August we slept in, then had a lazy, relaxing morning on the boat.  Rick did mix in a little troubleshooting of the fly bridge thruster controls – they had been showing an annoying tendency to stick, which in close quarters could be a little stressful; after tightening some connectors and spraying a little CRC electrical cleaner around they seemed to be behaving better.

We grabbed an early lunch at the nearby Smokehouse restaurant and then walked along the riverfront over to the Nauticus maritime and naval museum.  (LINK.)  It is a fabulous place to learn about the rich nautical history not only of Norfolk, but also of Portsmouth and Hampton Roads, from the early settlement days all the way to today’s period, where it is now home to the world’s largest naval base.  In between it was a pivotal battleground and control point for naval activities during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, and later grew to prominence for the U.S. Navy’s critical role during World Wars I and II.

The Nauticus Museum Complex in Norfolk, Virgina

We spent several hours in the museum complex and still didn’t see everything. One of the highlights is getting aboard the battleship USS Wisconsin, BB64, nicknamed Wisky, originally commissioned two years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, thence serving up through the first Gulf War in 1991.  At 887 feet long and a beam over 100 feet, it takes a while just to walk down its decks, which by the way are all teak.  Each of its nine 16 inch diameter guns could launch a 2700 pound projectile accurately to a target 23 nautical miles distant….which is like firing a Volkswagen Beetle from Dallas to Fort Worth.  It was the last of the dreadnoughts….in today's world nuclear powered aircraft carriers are now the Navy's  flagships roaming the world’s oceans.

Looking Aft From the Bow of the Wisconsin....She Has Some Serious
Ground Tackle on Her Foredeck

The Nauticus experience spurred us to further explore the naval yards the following day, Monday, 27-August, with a two hour trek onboard the tour ship Victory Rover.  The narrated cruise took us across and then up the Elizabeth River, passing numerous repair and depot boat yards, and about every kind of ship that the U.S. Navy has in its inventory.  That included close passes near carriers, guided missile cruisers, Arleigh Burke destroyers, several different types of supply and cargo vessels, and even the hospital ship, USS Comfort.  It was quite impressive and informative, and certainly well worth the time.

Passing Norfolk Naval Base and Several Arleigh Burke Class
Guided Missile Destroyers (aka DDGs)

On Tuesday, 28-August we got back underway just before 0900.  The tight pivot in the marina basin was uneventful as the thruster controls on the fly bridge were behaving themselves after Rick had cleaned and tightened some connections.  We headed Ghost Rider up the Elizabeth River past all the naval yards towards Chesapeake Bay.  The Navy was active this morning as a few Arleigh Burke class missile destroyers set sail just ahead of us, and then about an hour later an aircraft carrier did the same.  Their patrol boats were active on the VHF radio letting everyone know the lateral distance the security zones required.  One recreational boat wasn’t getting the message at first, but apparently the threat to open fire finally got the helmsman’s attention and the drama settled down.

Entering Indian Creek Near Kilmarnock, VA....One of Many Inlets
Along the Chesapeake Bay

As the river joined the bay we ran into a healthy incoming current and slowed to below six knots for a spell.  But by the time we turned north into the Chesapeake we had a following current and we cruised the rest of the day at 8+ knots at an easy 1400 RPM.  Both boat traffic and winds were light and it got hot, into the upper 90’s by mid-afternoon.  The bay waters, however, were quite smooth, so it was a pleasant ride up past the Rappahannock River and then WNW up Indian Creek and to the Chesapeake Boat Basin Marina.  Their facilities are a bit cramped there, but they had a deep entry channel and just enough room for our boat on the outside t-dock.

Billy & Becky's Kadey-Krogen 39, The Edge, Docked Next
To Us at the Chesapeake Boat Basin

We docked up there around 1640, and there to greet us was good friend Billy Edge, who had his Kadey-Krogen 39, The Edge, docked there as well.  After we got ourselves and Ghost Rider washed down, Billy escorted us to a first class dinner at the Tides Inn located on the upstream shores of the Rappahannock River.  The food, drinks and company kept were excellent.

The first half of the next day, Wednesday, 29-August, was dedicated to helping Billy with a project aboard The Edge.  He had a rain water leak in the vicinity of one of the salon windows and suspected some hardware attaching one of the mast’s guy wires to the boat deck above.  Like most boat projects it took us twice as long as estimated to remove, clean and re-bed the thing with 4200, but eventually we got it done. It was damned hot again, so the second half of the day was spent cleaning up, rehydrating, cooling off in the A/C, watching some baseball and updating the next blog entry.  Billy also gave us use of his car (a very nice Audi convertible), so Michelle took advantage of that to run a few errands in town.

A View of the CBB Marina From the Stern of the Fly Bridge

That evening Billy joined us aboard Ghost Rider for drinks and dinner, and then some fly bridge time with a few more drinks.  Billy brought a bottle of fine 2012 Chardonnay and a 15-year-old Macallan scotch, so it was destined to be a fine night.  It was a beautiful if somewhat warm sunset, with Venus and Saturn brightly evident in the darkening clear sky, and just the right amount of breeze, boat stories and alcohol.

Thursday, 30-August was another relaxed day on the boat at the Chesapeake Boat Basin Marina.  Our Wheelhouse maintenance software was reminding us that the semiannual task of cleaning and lubing all deck hatch weather-stripping and gaskets was due, so Rick spent a couple hours tending to that; it isn’t a difficult job, but there are a lot of them…coating them all periodically with SuperLube can save a lot of headaches later.  Chelle borrowed the marina’s courtesy car and headed into town to pick up some additional provisions, mostly fresh fruit, in anticipation of some extended anchorage time along the shores of the Chesapeake.

A View Off the Bow of the Fly Bridge....Peaceful & Quiet Here

The Chesapeake Bay is an enormous watershed, about 200 miles from end-to-end, and averaging 20 miles in width, but with over 11,000 miles of coastline when considering it numerous rivers and creeks feeding into the bay.  For a contrast, the state of Florida has approximately 8,400 miles of shoreline…not bad for a single state, but you get the idea.  Our general plan was to slowly make our way to Baltimore at the far northern end of the massive estuary by the last week of September.  There we would attend the next Trawler Fest for several days of technical training courses.  That meant we had a bit over three weeks to get there, plenty of time to relax and explore interesting places along the way.

Ghost Rider Tucked in Behind The Edge After We Moved. That's a Nice
KK55 (Galactic) Docked Behind Us Where We Had Been Parked.

So we had wanted to extend at least one more day at CBB, mostly so we could visit with Becky when she returned to The Edge from Richmond, where she had been caring for her twin sister. But the marina informed us another boat would be claiming our slip, so we made preparations for a Friday departure.  But on the morning of Friday, 31-August Billy and the marina staff came up with an idea to move his boat forward and create just enough room for Ghost Rider to tuck in directly behind him….so that’s what we did.  It was a bit snug and we lost some depth, but we still had just enough water at low tide.

This Sea Turtle Was Chelle's Favorite at the Art Gallery, and It Took a Third
Place Ribbon.  At $1400 Fortunately Chelle Did Not Buy It.

After that Chelle got some pool time in the afternoon while Rick messed around with some minor chores and admin tasks and also sneaked in a nap.  Later that evening we were treated to a visit with Billy and Becky’s family in nearby Kilmarnock, from where we also walked to nearby “Specials”, an excellent and reputed wine store.  After a generous wine tasting session (and of course some purchases there) we strolled a short distance to the town’s small art gallery.  We picked up a pizza and headed back to Ghost Rider for drinks and a late dinner with Billy and Becky to conclude a thoroughly enjoyable day.

The Kadey-Krogen 55, Galactic, Slid Into Our Previous Parking Space

We were so enjoying our visit here – and the TRW forecast for Saturday, 01-September wasn’t appealing – so we decided to stay yet another day.  Chelle and Becky did some more shopping in the morning, mostly at the local farmer’s market. 

Late in the afternoon our new neighbors on the Kadey-Krogen 55, Galactic, invited us over for a social over drinks and snacks.  Mike and Dyan Warren are well known cruisers in the KK community, and not surprisingly we have several mutual friends in the Nordy community as well.  We enjoyed drinks and snacks and they gave us a tour of their beautiful boat; the engine room and engineering spaces below are stunning – clean as a surgical operating theater and amazingly spacious even with twin John Deere diesels….two of Ghost Rider’s engine rooms would fit in there. 

The Party Aboard Galactic.  That's Mike on the Far Left & Wife Dyan
Third from the Left.

Billy came by to fetch us that evening so we could all celebrate Becky’s and Emily’s birthday at Emily’s house with a great dinner party.  Billy broke out another bottle of single malt scotch, and we thoroughly enjoyed visiting with Emily’s daughter Kelley and her husband Mike, along with their young son, Sam. 

The morning of Sunday, 02-September broke sunny, dry and warm.  We weren’t in any kind of hurry since the length of our planned route for the day was under 50 miles, so we didn’t start up until just before 1100.  Billy, Becky, Emily, Kelley and Sam all showed up to bid us bon voyage and they also helped us with the lines.  We had to thrust sideways quite a bit to escape the tight space and avoid the stern of Mike’s KK55, but we managed that and backed out into the deeper part of the basin without incident.

Billy, Rick & Becky Enjoying the Birthday Party

There was barely a hint of breeze and the bay and river waters were flat calm.  An initial high overcast gave way to clear, sunny skies, and temperatures had moderated quite a bit to the low and mid-80’s.  We bucked a mild tidal current the first half of the day, barely averaging 7 knots, but it was a very pleasant day for a slow cruise.

We headed north and then cut to the northwest to enter the wide mouth of the Potomac River, then made our way into the St. Mary’s River, turning north again towards the Horseshoe Bend anchorage.  After we dropped the anchor our first attempt at setting it resulted in some slow dragging, so we picked it up and motored a few hundred meters to the west, and on the second shot we got a good dig.  By 1730 we were fairly well settled.  The temps had edged into the low 90’s and the wind was still very light, so we cranked up the genset and got the A/C going.

At this point we are about half way up Chesapeake Bay, but detouring a bit to the west.  We’re going to hang out here for at least another day to launch and exercise the tender, and check out the nearby shorelines for potential areas of further exploring.  We will likely head further up the Potomac after that before returning to the bay and the journey north to Baltimore.

Some Minor Boat Business Updates:

➧ The new fuel sight gauge assembly required some tweaking....you don't really know for sure whether it will seep until you go several days, and some (very, very slight) tightening of upper and lower securing nuts is typically required; it appears we finally found that sweet spot.

➧ The new steering ram is doing its job; the upper (fly bridge) helm station feels a little stiff, but likely is just a tighter system now without that leak around the piston seal.

➧ Speaking of the new steering ram, remember that leftover mysterious / suspected hydraulic leak Rick was trying to find?  Well, when clearing out the laz to make room to work on the steering we found a gallon of motor oil and a gallon of ISO 68 hydraulic fluid leaking from bottom cracks in the plastic bottles....eventually it would run and pool up in other strange places beneath the lazarette floor hatches.

➧ We were actually able to get the old ST60 wind instrument working again. The Raymarine tech had told us the control head was bad & would require replacement after we verified the transducer voltages were good.  But Rick decided to also check the head's rear connectors and found some corrosion and one wire that came off in his hand; after cleaning and crimping in a new bayonet connector the thing came back to life.

➧ We still have a minor oil leak at the front of the main engine.  Rick dismantled all the belt and engine guards to take a closer look while we were underway and determined the source is likely the crankshaft front oil seal (and not the oil pan gasket this time.)  For now we're going to monitor & measure the rate of leak; at some point we'll engage a diesel mechanic to have that seal replaced.

Becky and Twin Sis Emily Opening Gifts, with Young Sam Looking On

Emily, Sam, Mike and Kelley

Our Track for this Posting, From Norfolk to Kimarnock, VA and then to St Marys City Up the Potomac River