Oops, sorry Mom, let me rephrase that…it’s very, very chilly out here. Well, we finally left at about 2 PM on Wednesday afternoon (December 5th), in the middle of the first snow storm in Baltimore. So, with the white flakes falling and two dock hands to help, we finally pulled away from our slip and officially started our big adventure. With our GPS, radar and autopilot working we headed south down the Chesapeake Bay to rendezvous with our flotilla companions. Two other boats are travelling with us. One is named Driven and is a a 47-foot Vagabond ketch sailboat (Chuck and Dale are the Captains; they really are certified Captains!). The other is named Meant-To-Be and is a 37-foot Albin trawler (Bill is the Captain and Mary is First Mate). We met up just north of the Bay Bridge in complete darkness. It was a relief to find that our radar worked perfectly an
d we saw them as a blob on the screen before making out their steaming lights in the distance. We then started the journey to Norfolk, an all-night cruise (not a 3-hour cruise!).
Anyway, back to the start of this story, cold doesn’t really describe it. It snowed through the night and the wind was sustained at about 30 knots with gusts as high as 40…not quite what the weather man predicted. We tried to use our little ceramic heater in the cockpit but it kept kicking off. Our feet were definitely numb and we were chilled to the bone. As we reached the lower part of the Bay, the waves picked up significantly; we estimate they were about 5 feet (although they felt like 10 feet). They were rolling into the port stern, so it felt kinda like we were surfing. The only thing that made us feel better was the knowledge that we would be much worse off had they been hitting us abeam or we were crashing into them.
After many hours of this action I discovered that I don’t seem to suffer from motion sickness and for that I am extremely thankful. Daybreak came finally and we reached Norfolk at about 2 PM on Thursday afternoon. Lynn and I have decided that we have no desire to repeat that particular voyage and would opt in future to do the bay crossing in two days.
We anchored in Hospital Bay, Norfolk, in very calm water. We were all bagged!! After a hot shower, Lynn and I had a nice mug of hot chocolate (mine with “splash” of Baileys) and tried to watch the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but kept dozing. We eventually gave up and hit the sack at about 8 PM. With our generator purring and our heater finally working, we slept soundly and woke at about 7 AM for our planned 8 AM departure.
Today is a beautiful day. We are very cozy in our cockpit enclosure (I’m not even wearing a jacket) and have hopefully left the very cold weather behind us. We have successfully navigated the 13 bridges (6 of which have to open to let boats pass) and one lock south of Norfolk (which we managed somewhat more gracefully than the last time when we ended up facing backwards in the lock!). Our plan is to travel about 60 miles to the top of Albermarle Sound and anchor there for the night.
So, Mom, Dad and Lynn’s kids, now that you have read this…let us reassure you that we were very safe the entire time, just a little uncomfortable. We are now listening to the Beatles on our IPOD (thanks Tracy!) and have polished off delicious chocolate chip cookies (thanks Jeff!). We are feeling so happy to be here.
d we saw them as a blob on the screen before making out their steaming lights in the distance. We then started the journey to Norfolk, an all-night cruise (not a 3-hour cruise!).Anyway, back to the start of this story, cold doesn’t really describe it. It snowed through the night and the wind was sustained at about 30 knots with gusts as high as 40…not quite what the weather man predicted. We tried to use our little ceramic heater in the cockpit but it kept kicking off. Our feet were definitely numb and we were chilled to the bone. As we reached the lower part of the Bay, the waves picked up significantly; we estimate they were about 5 feet (although they felt like 10 feet). They were rolling into the port stern, so it felt kinda like we were surfing. The only thing that made us feel better was the knowledge that we would be much worse off had they been hitting us abeam or we were crashing into them.
After many hours of this action I discovered that I don’t seem to suffer from motion sickness and for that I am extremely thankful. Daybreak came finally and we reached Norfolk at about 2 PM on Thursday afternoon. Lynn and I have decided that we have no desire to repeat that particular voyage and would opt in future to do the bay crossing in two days.
We anchored in Hospital Bay, Norfolk, in very calm water. We were all bagged!! After a hot shower, Lynn and I had a nice mug of hot chocolate (mine with “splash” of Baileys) and tried to watch the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but kept dozing. We eventually gave up and hit the sack at about 8 PM. With our generator purring and our heater finally working, we slept soundly and woke at about 7 AM for our planned 8 AM departure.
Today is a beautiful day. We are very cozy in our cockpit enclosure (I’m not even wearing a jacket) and have hopefully left the very cold weather behind us. We have successfully navigated the 13 bridges (6 of which have to open to let boats pass) and one lock south of Norfolk (which we managed somewhat more gracefully than the last time when we ended up facing backwards in the lock!). Our plan is to travel about 60 miles to the top of Albermarle Sound and anchor there for the night.So, Mom, Dad and Lynn’s kids, now that you have read this…let us reassure you that we were very safe the entire time, just a little uncomfortable. We are now listening to the Beatles on our IPOD (thanks Tracy!) and have polished off delicious chocolate chip cookies (thanks Jeff!). We are feeling so happy to be here.
3 comments:
Thanks for the reassurance! What ever made you think we were worried?!? :) Glad all is well, warm, and happy! Oh yeah, Nice Boots!(in the picture) :)
Love You!
Well, YOU DID IT!!!!!! Dad, you have always dreamed BIG and it is great to see one finally come true...You have sacrificed your whole life for your children...to give us the best life...what a great gift...OUR DAD...Now, its your turn to live your dreams, open your sails and be happy and free...We love you so much...and miss you both too!
Glad you enjoyed the cookies! Let us know if you want more, we would be happy to fly down and bring you some!! We are so grateful that you are safely underway and continue to pray for your safe travels. We check often to see if there are any updates, so keep us posted. We miss you both.
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