Time in Annapolis

Sunday, May 28 – Time for an update.  Nancy is doing much better, although she is still having some rib pain (mostly at night).  It has been three weeks since she broke her rib and the doctor said it would take 4-6 weeks to fully recover.  Captain Carey is doing most of the boat chores so that Nancy can rest and heal. 

On May 16, we left Portsmouth, VA with Adagio (another Looper Boat) and cruised for 8 hours. It was a busy day on the water due to the number of boats and ships that were out cruising.  Like Tug LeeLoo, many other boats were taking advantage of the good weather and calm seas.  After 8 hours (and nearly 60 miles) we were tired and ready to anchor; it was a good day on the water with mostly 1 ft. waves.  Our anchorage for the night was in Godfrey Bay, near Deltaville, Virginia.  It was a beautiful anchorage with mostly calm water, although the water was deep (18 feet) so we had to put out a lot of chain for the anchor.  Adagio went on to a marina in Deltaville for the night so they could walk their dog.

                                       Container Ship Cruising Chesapeake Bay

The next morning (May 17), we woke up at sunrise, pulled anchor, and continued towards Solomons, MD.  It was a lovely sunrise and the water was calm.  Because we had put out 125 ft. of chain for the anchor, it took a while to get it pulled up and hosed down before putting it back into the chain locker.  And, of course, it came up muddy.  Nancy stood at the helm taking direction from Carey as he pulled up the anchor and cleaned it off.  

                                  Sunrise in Godfrey Bay - Look at the Calm Water!

                      The Captain Hosing Off the Muddy Anchor Chain Before Storing It

On our way to Solomons, we radioed Adagio.  They were also going to Solomons, but they stayed at a different marina.  We had a reservation on a T-dock at Solomons Yacht Center where we had stayed before.  It’s within walking distance to the town and ice cream!  Unfortunately, they only had space for us on the T-dock for one night.  The next day (May 18), we left the marina and cruised a couple of miles to an anchorage (called Spring Pancake) where we had anchored in horrendous winds last fall.  This time the anchorage was calm and we had a peaceful evening.  We liked the anchorage much better without all the wind!

                                Point No Point Lighthouse (Really, That's the Name)

The next morning (May 19), we pulled our anchor again at daylight and left for Annapolis!  We expected the water to be a little rough, but were pleased to find that the further north we cruised, the calmer the water.  It felt wonderful to be arriving back in Annapolis.  Annapolis was one of our favorite spots last year when we spent the summer on the Chesapeake!   For this visit, we went to the Bert Jabins Boat Yard where we planned to spend a couple of weeks. 

May 28 – We have been at Bert Jabins a week and it looks like we will be here for a full month while we wait for the new dingy davit to be fabricated and shipped here from Seattle, WA.  This boat yard/marina is huge.  There are lots of boats in the water and lots of boats on the hard (dry land) being worked on.  We have been very impressed with this facility.  Care is taken with equipment as evidenced by the clean yard.  Everyone has been very friendly and helpful from the moment we arrived. Even the bathrooms and laundry facilities are clean and inviting.  The only 2 complaints are that there is no internet and the bathrooms are far away from where we are docked, but walking is good for us!  We are also within a mile and a half of a big grocery store and a CVS pharmacy.  Again, more walking but at least we can get to a grocery store.  Annapolis also provides dinghy docks in many locations so we can dinghy closer to town, then walk to our destination.  We have rented a car for a week so we can go a little further to run errands or sight-see. 

We are lucky to be in a slip along a full face dock, so it’s easy to get on and off the boat.  Most of the docks have small finger piers which necessitates backing the boat into the slip, something the skipper is not very skilled at.  When we docked, Carey called ahead and told them we would need help since there was an injured crew member aboard.  I’m not sure if that is why we got such a good slip, but we are happy!  It will be easy to install the new davit from our slip.  That is also a plus!

                              Tug LeeLoo Tied to a Face Dock at Bert Jabins Boat Yard

                                                         Annapolis Sunset

 

The Naval Academy is located in Annapolis.  Last week was Commissioning Week when the seniors graduate.  There were many events scheduled during Commissioning Week.  We watched from our boat as the Blue Angels practiced on Tuesday.  Then, on Wednesday when the “real” show took place, we got in the dinghy and bobbed around with hundreds of other boats to watch the show.  It was fantastic!!!

                            Watching the Blue Angels Perform on a Cloudy Day

That evening, we took the water taxi into town so we could attend the Naval Academy Men’s Glee Club, Women’s Glee Club, and Gospel Choir Concert.  It was held in the Naval Academy Chapel and was very good.  Our favorites included the patriotic songs that were performed.  We made an evening of it and went to the Galway Irish Pub for dinner, a favorite of ours. 

                                     Inside the Navy Academy Chapel for the Concert

                          A View of the Naval Academy Chapel Dome from Eastport

Bert Jabins Yacht Yard is located in Back Creek.  We are docked along a wooded area and have seen lots of birds, including osprey, herons, and hawks.  We are constantly hearing woodpeckers in the distance, too.  Yesterday when we were on the Tug LeeLoo’s upper deck, Nancy spotted a 2 ft. long water snake swimming past the boat.  There is also a nature preserve right next to the boat yard.  We took a walk there yesterday and spotted 3 deer!  It seems like we have seen more wildlife here than any other place we have been to in a long time.

                                       We Found Deer in the Nature Preserve

Hope everyone is enjoying a long Memorial Day Weekend!  We will report on our davit project as it progresses.

Leaving Portsmouth

It’s always fascinating to pass through the Portsmouth – Norfolk, VA area because of the large number of Navy ships that are either undergoing maintenance or are stationed at Norfolk Navy Base.  Most of the maintenance and repair facilities are up the Elizabeth River directly across from Ocean Yacht Marina, which is where we stay when transiting the area.  Last October we hunkered down there to let Hurricane Matthew pass by.  And this May we stayed a week to let Nancy’s broken rib heal.

When we were in Portsmouth last fall, the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) was docked opposite the marina being refitted.  This May it was the USS Wasp (LHD-1).  The Wasp and the Kearsarge are amphibious assault ships.  LHD stand for Landing Helicopter Dock.  They can carry a complete marine expeditionary unit (MEU), about 1900 soldiers plus all of their equipment.  The soldiers can be carried ashore using air cushioned landing craft (the ship can carry up to 2 LCACs in the well deck below the flight deck), conventional landing craft, CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters or the new V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.  For self-protection and to provide close air support for the marines on shore, these ships also operate several AV-8B harrier “jump jets” (vertical takeoff and landing).  Because these ships look line mini air-craft carriers, they are often referred to as “helicopter carriers”.

                                                            USS WASP (LHD-1)

Another amphibious assault ship being worked on was the USS San Antonio (LPD-17).  Initially it was across the river from our marina, just upstream of the wasp.  But then they moved it to a dry dock most likely to work on the underwater surfaces.  LPD stands for landing Platform Dock.  These ships look less like carriers and more like conventional war ships except for the extra-large helicopter landing areas.  The San Antonio can carry and disembark up to 700 marines and their equipment, again using LCACs, conventional landing craft, CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters and V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.  One interesting feature of this particular class of amphibious assault ships is that efforts were made to reduce the radar cross-section (radar signature) of the ship to make it stealthier (as is a 685 foot-long ship can be stealthy).  Still, in the photo below, note the angular surfaces on the superstructure that are designed to reflect radar waves.  Note also the angular panels up high on the forward mast.  These surround the many antennas on the ship; they provide weather protection for the antennas and also help to minimize radar returns.

                               USS SAN ANTONIO (LPD-17) in Titan Floating Dry Dock

In the picture above, the San Antonio is in the Titan Floating Dry Dock.  Its “well” is 950 feet long by 160 feet wide.  It has a maximum draft of 59 feet.  And is capable of lifting ships weighing up to 52,500 long tons.

When you leave Portsmouth for the Chesapeake Bay you travel right past Norfolk Navy base, the largest navy base in the world.  We passed a few guided missile destroyers and frigates well as several supply vessels.  We also saw an attack submarine along a pier; they are particularly difficult to photograph because they are not very big, they are black, and they float low in the water, even when they are along a pier.  As we turned the corner to head to the Chesapeake Bay we passed three Nimitz class aircraft carriers.  To me it’s unusual that they would all be in port at once, but there they were.  The Nimitz class carriers were CVN 69, the Dwight D. Eisenhower (commissioned in 1977), CVN 72, the Abraham Lincoln (commissioned in 1989), and CVN 73, the George Washington (commissioned in 1992).  The newest class of aircraft carrier is simply referred to as a “super carrier”.  In port that day was CVN 78, the Gerald R. Ford (commissioned in 2013).

                                                Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier

                                              Roll-On / Roll-Off Supply Ships

It’s interesting to ponder the fact that when you are driving your boat past these enormous warships you are actually pretty close to them.  The warships are behind a row of floating buoys with nets that likely reach to the bottom of the sea floor (about 50 feet).  There are also radar units installed at the end of each pier, so you are being tracked as you pass by.  And there are armed patrol boats in the water 24-7 to chase away boaters who get too close.  In fact, a sailboat that was behind us wandered too close to the edge of the navigation channel and was chased away by a patrol boat.  If you stay in the center of the channel, as we did, you can pass the warships without difficulty and you can still get some neat pictures.

Also of interest . . . . warships no not use their names when communicating on the VHF radio.  Instead of “This is the USS San Antonio calling Tug LeeLoo.” it’s “This is Warship 17 calling Tug LeeLoo.”  So you know you are about to be run over, but not by whom.  And Navy vessels do not use AIS.