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.

Off To A Slow Start . . .

Sunday, May 14 - We left New Bern on May 3 at 6:15 a.m., traveling with Robin's Nest (another Looper boat).  Our plan to leave a day or 2 earlier didn't work because the wind was too strong.  The morning we left the weather was sunny and the winds were calm.

                                          Leaving New Bern at Sunrise on May 3

We cruised for 9 hours to an anchorage in the Pungo River.  Our day was uneventful, although we were passed by a lot of faster boats also going north.

                                         Sunset at Anchorage on Pungo River
   
On May 4 we left our anchorage and cruised up the Pungo River - Alligator River Canal.  It was very quiet as we cruised along, though a bit windy.  We saw very little wildlife.  We arrived at the Alligator River Marina after 5-1/2 hours of cruising.  Unfortunately, the weather was turning bad with a lot of rain and storms predicted.  We stayed for 2 nights at the Alligator River Marina with is nothing more than some docks adjacent to a Shell Gas Station.  But, the gas station also had a restaurant grill and we able to have some delicious North Carolina barbecue for dinner! 

The morning of May 6th we left the Alligator River Marina and crossed the Albemarle Sound.  We had crossed two other times last summer on our way to the Chesapeake and then back to New Bern.  The Albermarle is a force to be reckoned with.   The water is not deep, but it is a big body of water and can get very rough.  Our luck was not with us - we had a very rough crossing!  The Captain handed it well and we did make it across, but once again we had things flying round in the boat.

After a couple of hours of rocking and rolling we finally made it across Albermale Sound and then cruised on to Coinjock Marina where we could tie up for the night.  We had a call from the dockmaster at Coinjock Marina while we were under way with the information that 2 of the swing bridges north of Coinjock were closed due to high water.  Until the bridges opened up, no boats could go through.  That meant that boats were rafted up to each other while waiting for the bridges to open.  We were rafted to Robin's Nest for 2 nights while we waited.

                                                        Coinjock Marina

                                            Boats Rafted Two deep at Coinjock Marina

Unfortunately, there's more to this story.  While docked at Alligator River Marina (May 7), Nancy tripped while coming into the boat from the cockpit and took a hard fall into the boat, hitting the corner of the counter top on the way to the floor.  Nothing hurt immediately, so she didn't even tell Carey about her fall until later that evening.  Everything seemed fine until Saturday night at Coinjock Marina when Nancy was unable to lie down due to the pain in her side.  Well, Coinjock is not exactly a metropolis.  I's just a marina.  Out in the middle of nowhere!  So, the next morning, Carey talked to the dock master about how to get to an ER.  A fire station a quarter-mile down the road was suggested where there were EMT personnel on duty.  Carey walked to the fire station, talked to the nice EMT personnel who came back to check on Nancy and then offered her a ride to the nearest ER - by ambulance - which is in Elizabeth City.  (Carey wanted to take a picture of the ambulance for the blog, but Nancy said NO!)  After an exam and x-rays, it was determined that Nancy had broken a rib in the fall (not just bruised or cracked, but broken).  There is no treatment for a broken rib except pain meds and rest.  After the ER visit, we took a taxi (and we use that loosely) to Walgreens to get the meds and then we used Uber to make the 25 miles drive back to the boat.  

We decided to leave Coinjock on May 8 when the swing bridges opened up.  After several bridges and one lock, we made it to Ocean Yacht Marina in Portsmouth where we decided to stay at least a week so that Nancy could rest and recover.  Carey has had to step up and do all of Nancy's boat chores for a while!  It has been week and Nancy is slowly improving.  One more addition to our list of adventures on the Loop!

                                    Tug LeeLoo Locking Through Great Bridge Lock

On May 16 we will be on the move again.  Destination:  Annapolis MD via Deltaville VA and Solomons, Maryland.  We will stay in Annapolis for about two weeks while we have a new powered dinghy davit installed.  Sometimes it's better to spend a few boats units to make life easier, in this case, launching and retrieving the dinghy.  (Reminder:  One boat unit is $1000.) 

Phase 2 of the Loop

Sunday, April 30 - After a few months being on hiatus from our blog, it is time to get it up and running again!  Here's a short description of where we have been for the last five months!

Fortunately, we survived Hurricane Matthew.  There was no damage to Tug LeeLoo, just a few drops of water came in through the forward hatch.  Then there was the inconvenience of having to reinstall the things we dismantled in preparation of the approaching hurricane, principally the weather cloths that surround the upper deck!  Oh, and we had to reinstall the dinghy engine.

Because the hurricane turned out to sea south of Portsmouth, VA there was little damage to the Inter-coastal Waterway this far north.  So it was an easy trip back to New Bern, NC where we winterized Tug LeeLoo.  New Bern is far enough south such that snow and hard freezes are rare, plus this far up the Neuse River the water is largely fresh.  So we left her in the water while we did a road trip back to the Chicago area to see son Paul, Kristina and our grandchildren.  Next we stopped at Hawk Valley Retreat in Galena, IL to spend Thanksgiving with our good friends and traveling companions Hal and Wendy Gilpin and their family.  And then it was on to Las Vegas to spend time with our other son Brian, Paula and more grandchildren!

The road trip out west was awesome - never having done this and not being in a hurry allowed visits to national parks and other areas of interest.  Some of the highlights included visits to Guadalupe Mountain National Park, Carlsbad Caverns (much better than Mammoth Cave), Roswell, NM (could not miss the International UFO Museum), White Sands National Monument, Chiricahua National Monument, Tombstone, AZ, Death Valley National Park, and Valley of Fire State Park.  We took the southern route in order to avoid winter further north.  And it worked out perfectly.  The scenery was beautiful and we enjoyed seeing sights that we had only seen by pictures before!  

                                            Guadalupe Mountains National Park

                                                 Entrance to Carlsbad Caverns

                                  Visit to the International UFO Museum in Roswell

                                                             Death Valley

                                                            Death Valley

                                                       Winding Through Death Valley

                                                            Roadrunner

                                               White Sands National Monument

                                                          Historic Tombstone

                                                    Valley of Fire State Park

Our visit in Las Vegas was very enjoyable.  We were fortunate to spend time with Brian and Paula and our grandchildren.  Las Vegas is a beautiful area surrounded by mountains.  Of course, what's a visit to Las Vegas without a few trips to the Las Vegas Strip!  We even made time to go a Donnie and Marie (Osmond) concert!  (I know, who are Donnie and Marie?)  While in Las Vegas, we also joined the local park district pool and we swam almost every day!  Las Vegas in the winter is not really warm, but we were glad to not be in the snow in the Midwest!

                                            Red Rock Canyon Near Las Vegas

As if being retired isn't enough, in January we flew to Ft. Lauderdale and met up with our good friends Hal and Wendy Gilpin to board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship for an 11 night cruise in the Southern Caribbean.   The weather was perfect and we enjoyed the flavor of the islands!  Yes, back on the water for us!

                              Carey, Nancy, Hal and Wendy on a Snorkeling Trip in Aruba

We returned to the Chicago area in mid-February and arrived back in New Bern, NC in early March.  What we did not expect was how cold it was to be in New Bern!  It wasn't until April that the warm spring weather finally settled in.  It was a delight to return to Tug LeeLoo.  It truly felt like we had returned home!  All of Tug LeeLoo's systems have been commissioned and we have completed a couple of shake-down cruises.  The first shake-down cruise was not successful as the engine over-heated and we had to get towed back to the marina.  Who knew that the engine's raw-water impeller (important because it moves the cooling water through the engine) was in need of replacing.  We learned our lesson - one more thing to monitor and replace regularly!  

The AGLCA (American Great Loop Cruisers Association) Rendezvous was held in New Bern last week and we attended it.  There were 250 attendees in three categories.  Those planning to do the Loop, those currently doing the Loop and those who have completed the Loop.  The seminars highlighted the areas we will be cruising through as we head north to Canada.  It was fun to have the opportunity to meet everyone.  We are now ready to get underway again and continue our Loop.  If the weather holds, we plan to leave on Tuesday, May 2.  Our blog will now be updated regularly as we travel north. 

Hunkering Down for Hurricane Matthew

Wednesday, October 12 - It's been an interesting 2 weeks, complete with preparing for Hurricane Matthew!  Now that was NOT in our plans . . . but as we have said often, Mother Nature is in control.

Our last blog entry was on September 27 and we were expecting to leave Solomons the following day.  Once again, the winds were very strong and we were unable to leave.  After three nights at anchor, we moved over to Solomons Yachting Center for two additional nights.  Tom and Julie on Sum Escape caught up with us and we enjoyed meeting them for drinks at the Tiki Bar.

                                                      Tiki Bar in Solomons

The weather finally cleared up enough for us to leave Solomons with Sum Escape on October 2.  We made a long day of it - 88-1/2 miles (10 hours of cruising), but the weather and water were good so we decided to keep going.   We were going to stop for the night up the Great Wicomico River.  Instead, we found a great anchorage at Sharp Point in Mobjack Bay.  After 10 hours of cruising, we were tired!

                                      Leaving Solomons - Calm Water in the Bay!

We got up the next morning and left Mobjack Bay for Hampton, Virginia.  It was a good cruising day, although a bit windy.  We didn't know it at first, but we would have several encounters with the US Navy.  As we were leaving Mobjack bay we saw a navy destroyer in the distance.  For reasons still unknown, the destroyer turned right towards us and started to enter Mobjack Bay.  It was a classic crossing situation.  We were the stand on vessel and the destroyer was the give way vessel which means the destroyer was supposed to turn to starboard to avoid a collision.  Only he didn't turn!  I suppose the destroyer's helmsman thought that since he was the bigger vessel . . .  Anyway, we and also Sum Escape increased our speeds considerably to get out of the path of the destroyer.  Interestingly, Navy ships do not have (or use) AIS systems, so we were not able to determine the closest point of approach (CPA) or the time to closest point of approach (TCPA). 

                                    This is the Destroyer That Almost Ran Over Us 

Because of shoaling around the Hampton Roads Inlet, you normally would cruise a fair distance out into the bay, turn south for a few miles like you are leaving the bay, and then turn back to the west to enter the James River.  Unfortunately, the US Navy was conducting maneuvers directly offshore of the inlet.  In essence, they closed a large body of water to all civilian and commercial traffic.  A fleet of small patrol boats kept watch over us and were prepared to chase us away if we violated the exclusion zone.  Fortunately, there was a buoy-free small boat channel through the shoaling that we could use.  The term "buoy free" refers to the fact that crab and fish traps cannot be placed in the channel and, for the first time, it seemed to work.

We spent one night at the Hampton Public Pier.  Hampton is a small town directly across the river from Norfolk, VA and, without a car, we did not find much to see or do.  There was a street with a few restaurants and we went out to dinner with Tom and Julie from Sum Escape.  

                                          Dinner at Venture Restaurant in Hampton

By this time, we knew Hurricane Matthew was a real threat to the East Coast and early reports were that the area we were in could be hit hard.  We left Hampton Public Pier and cruised over to Ocean Yacht Marina in Portsmouth, Virginia to wait out the storm.  Sum Escape went on about 15 miles further to another marina where they could get some more work done on their boat.  While cruising to Portsmouth, we passed Norfolk Navy Base.  Here are two Nimitz Class aircraft carriers.  The one on the left is CVN 73 which is the George Washington.  The one on the right is CVN 77 which is the George H.W. Bush.  The carrier George H.W Bush is the 10th and final Nimitz Class super carrier to be built.  Now for the numbers.  Nimitz Class super carriers are 1092 feet long, have a beam of 252 feet, and a draft of 37 feet.  They are powered by two Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors feeding four steam turbines (4 shafts) for a total of 260,000 horsepower.  By comparison, Tug LeeLoo has a single diesel engine that produces 330 horsepower (on a good day).  Oh, and the cost $6.2 billion net each.

                                       CVN 73 and CVN 77 at Norfolk Navy Base

The strange looking ship below is the Zumwalt (DDG 1000), the navy's newest high-tech destroyer.  It has faceted sides and internal weapon bays (just like a stealth aircraft) to reduce it's radar cross section.  Zumwalt Class destroyers are 600 feet long, have a beam of 81 feet, and a draft of 28 feet.  They also have an all-electric drive system, two Rolls Royce MT30 gas turbines power two Curtis Wright RR4500 electric generators which drive two shafts through electric motors (150,000 horsepower).  Zumwalt Class destroyers cost nearly $4 billion net each.  Only three will be built; after fifteen years of development it was determined that they are too vulnerable to attack in the shore attack / protection role it was designed for.  Our tax dollars at work!

                                                         Zumwalt (DDG 1000)

We have never been in a hurricane before.  We followed the weather channel closely (thanks to our now working Satellite TV!) and carefully studied all our other weather apps.  We prepared Tug LeeLoo to ride out the storm by securing her with extra dock lines, adding more fenders, taking off and storing the weather cloths from the upper deck and all sunscreens, hatch covers, etc., removing the engine from the dinghy, bringing EVERYTHING loose that could blow away into Tug LeeLoo's interior, and securing all of the antennas.  We also rented a car for a week so we could leave and go to a hotel for the worst part of the storm.  As it turned out, Matthew took a turn to the right and went out to sea before the worst of it hit our area.  We were very, very lucky.  The most we had was 12 inches of rain and 30-40 mph winds, gusting to 60 mph.  Neither one of us wanted to wait out the storm in the heavy wind and rain, so we packed a backpack and went to a hotel in Emporia, Virginia (about 80 miles to the west) for 1 night.  

                                       Tug LeeLoo Ready for Hurricane Matthew

We are happy to report that Tug LeeLoo held up very nicely in the strong wind and rain.  We came back to no damage on the outside and no leaking on the inside!  We certainly are luckier than many boaters to the south of us.  Little did we know that being delayed for multiple days in Solomons was a blessing.  That delay kept us north of the hurricane damage. 

The first reports of bridges, locks and the Inter Coastal Waterway being open was all doom and gloom and we thought we would have to spend an extra week here in Portsmouth.  But, now things seems to be opening up and we plan to leave tomorrow to join Sum Escape near their marina so we can continue our trip south to New Bern.  If all goes well, we hope to be in New Bern early next week.

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