Mar 26, 2013 - Heading Home, Part Two

March 26 was another cold Carolina day. We cruised up the Waccamaw passing up our favorite Osprey Marina for the Barefoot Landing. In our early cruising days the landing was a free dock and always packed with freeloaders like us in their boats. It abuts a large outlet mall with lots of stores and good restaurants and we selected one, T'Bonez for our dinner. It was right in front of the boat and quite a lot warmer than had been our day on the water. Thursday evening found us in the anchorage at Masonborough Inlet waiting for a crossing of...

Nov 27, 2012 - The Interim

From the mid April arrival until Thanksgiving in 2012, our lives revolved largely around the community in Solomons. The ladies of the condo association had lots of social plans and work with the dock committee and his oysters kept Bill occupied. We headed off to Annapolis when the Mids played football and the girls had occasional forays to the nearby gaming places. That is not to say that we failed to burn up a few tires on the road to Arlington, where the five little grands with their extra busy parents reside. Wende and Lee made a move...

Apr 11, 2012 - Home at Last

As the sun came up at the Reedsville anchorage, we sensed that the Chesapeake was calming. In all the bluster of the days before, lots of floating things came loose. We came upon this huge fender, bobbing about in the middle of the bay. Quickly retrieved, it joined our sordid array of rubber bumpers on the bow. At around 1000 on Monday morning we followed another cruiser around the fishtraps that surround the entrance and made our way to Cape Lookout. The day was still blustery with whitecaps abundant, but like a horse smelling the barn,...

Dec 9, 2011 - Starting Off and Returning

Energized with the prospect of moving south before the first frost, we decided to take a survey of potential marinas on the St Johns River and the Jacksonville area. Bill took the truck down to Florida in late November, spending time in BOQs at NAS Jax and Naval Station Mayport while visiting some nine marinas where we could stay during the December-January timeframe. This month long visit would occur before moving further south and crossing to the Bahamas. The truck will be a real asset for the time in Florida and we will leave to another...

Nov 27, 2011 - The Interregnum

If you follow our blog, realize that when the lines were secured from the three month Maine trip, we abruptly stopped logging in, with good reason. Most of the people that read it are friends that we were seeing often in the September to November period and our priorities shifted quickly to family pursuits. This was also the time for dental/medical checks. The Oyster Bay social calendar was in high gear with something happening weekly as Jean caught up with the latest news. Sister Mary came for a short visit to untangle our...

Sep 16, 2011 - Solomons in Sight

The anchorage on the Cohansey River reminded us of the tidal flats of the Carolinas. Banks were mud at low and beyond was a series of small creeks hidden in the tall marsh grass. Our engine exhaust problem continues to plague the journey as we try to spend as much time as possible in the fresh air. When we reached the upper Delaware, it became evident that the aftermath of hurricane Irene and the rains of Lee had washed entire forests of lumber into the bay. Autopilot was not the way to go so the driving was by hand and the debris required...

May 24, 2011 - A Year on the Dirt

We have been ashore for almost a year after returning from a memorable swing down south to the Bahamas and back in the winter of 2009/2010. The year at Oyster Bay has been filled with old friends, new grand children and the fluctuation of temperature that are a standard feature of the Chesapeake. The time was not spent idly by either of us as we settled into the wonderful Solomons community. And, it is not coincidental that five little munchkins reside just an hour north in Arlington with their exhausted parents. Wende and Lee moved to a...

Oct 20, 2009 - Reflections on the stay

After an extended stay at the Solomons condo, the time is approaching when we will again slip the lines and head south. But first a quick review of the intervening seven months since we last enjoyed the freedom of a cruising lifestyle. The Spring at Oyster Bay brought on lots of social activities from potlucks to barbecues to dock working parties which were spontaneous and fun to be a part of. Visitors arrived for short stays at this cruising crossroads and the path up the road to Arlington became well worn as we renewed our acquaintance...

Jun 11, 2009 - Solomons, MD

We expect an early departure from Parsons, WV to get through the D.C./Northern Virginia area before rush hour traffic hits to hard. Hopefully that's how it works. Thursday 7:00 a.m. we were on the road. It was a nice day of driving for the most part. We decided to go north on Hwy 219 into MD, across I-68 to I-70 So, to I-270, to I-495 toward Baltimore then south on I-95 to Rt 4 near Andrews AFB & finally down to Solomons, MD to the Navy Recreation Center- Solomons. Nellie our GPS said it was the fastest route. We believe it to have been our...

May 22, 2009 - Solomons Island MD

NOAA was predicting small craft advisory for the area beginning at 3:00pm so ran on plane for this stretch. Covered the 50 miles or so in a little over 3 hours. First time I had run that fast for any longer than 10-15 minutes on the whole trip so far. I think Stargazer liked the run. The Blue Angels are here for air shows over the next couple of days. We are across the river from the Patuxent Naval Air Warfare Base.

Apr 2, 2009 - And home for a spell!

Our Solomons arrival came at about noon on Saturday 28 March. The return from Key West via the Florida East Coast and Okeechobee had taken some 22 days. Recall that the trip down in early November had taken 15 days. We much prefer the more leisurely pace and the absence of a schedule certainly reduces the stress level. It is good to be back among friends and family. Our arrival coincided with a potluck at the clubhouse and it wasn't long before we had unloaded the boat. Next, it was time to make the trip up the road to Arlington to visit...

Nov 9, 2008 - Solomons, MD

We arrived in Solomons in the afternoon & got settled in. Long hot showers were a welcome treat after 2 days of travel. We enjoy our new coach & it is definitely "home" for us. I (Patti) took a turn driving & enjoyed it a lot. Since it was Sunday, there wasn't a lot of traffic & we were out of the mountains for my turn. The old coach drove nicely, but this one is even better! Yes, that is a good thing! Sunday evening we went to Hank's daughter & her family's house for dinner. We have not seen them since their wedding in the summer of '07....