Florida or Bust!

* Solomons, MD to Beaufort, NC *

– 5 ports and 1 anchorage – 323 miles –

Captain Dave is back in his happy place at the helm of the Now or Never navigating southward on our 1000+ mile journey back to Melbourne, FL for the winter.

Upon our return to Solomons and safely enduring tropical storm Ophelia, the weather was not cooperating. The aftermath of Ophelia brought a week of crappy weather, a week we thought we would transit 300 miles heading back to sunshine and endless summertime. So we sat, and sat, waiting for our weather window. Our big event of the week was moving slips, from the charter dock slip with the Fred Sanford neighbor, to the back 40 (because of a Krogen rendezvous) with our new high neighbor. We saw our one and only neighbor while we were docking, she popped her head out of her line wrapped canvas with reflective material and sheets tucked in over every window and said she would love to help but she was too high. Hmmm, what an introduction. That was the last time we saw her and never figured out if she had been smokin’ or she was too high off the dock?

Our weather window finally came. Eight days later than our intended departure date we cast off the lines from Solomons and were cruising again. It was good to start moving with a mission.

Our first day weather wasn’t as perfect as the first mate would like, lots of chop and cool, 62 miles to Deltaville for one night. The weather had boats stacked up and it took calling three marinas before we could find a slip. Hoping this isn’t the way it’s going to be transiting south with the migration. We should be toward the front of the pack. The uncertainty of sea conditions for the day had Tasha taking precautions with her sea bands, motion eaze and nausea medicine, all leading to a bit of drowsiness, she wasn’t much assistance in the navigation area that day. We ate on board, turned in early, and were off at first light the following morning. Cruising the East Coast in October is certainly different than May. In May we experienced over 14 hours of daylight and October is less than 12. This makes a big difference in your cruise planning and especially morning departure. The temperatures are starting drop making the first few hours a bit nippy with the wind in your face.

We motored out of Deltaville and the creek and were a few miles into the Chesapeake as the sun was rising, a big orange ball of fire rising quickly from the horizon. This is the captains favorite time of day, and it is growing on the first mate. We were rewarded with a beautiful sunrise and good cruising conditions. With such an early start Tasha had a nap in before 10:30! I think you’re beginning to see how much assistance she is to the captain while cruising.

Making our way through Norfolk, VA, we were again in awe of the massive Naval presence. Norfolk hosts the largest Naval station in the world and the installations occupy 4 miles of waterfront and 11 miles of pier and wharf space. Seventy five ships alongside 14 piers as well as 34 aircraft and 11 aircraft hangers make it the US Navy’s largest concentration of forces.

This was our first visit to Norfolk. We arrived at our downtown marina in time for lunch and then walked to the Maritime Discovery Center and the USS Wisconsin for the afternoon. It was Monday and sorry folks; the ship is closed! We were disappointed.

We made the most of the beautiful day and walked the waterfront and came upon Pagoda and Oriental Garden, a small garden gifted to the city by the Taiwan provincial Government. It is a serene oasis nestled on the waterfront in the midst of the bustling city and around the corner from battleship. We returned to Now or Never and the captain spent the rest of the afternoon washing her down. We will never get used to this salt.

We walked to the Freemason Abbey for dinner, a 150 year old renovated church. It reminded Tasha of Joe Bologna’s in Lexington, KY, not the original in the old dive bar on the corner, but the current one in the former Jewish Temple. They both have the same vibe, just no awesome breadsticks at the Abbey.

Disappointed not being able to visit the Wisconsin; we worked with our marina for a late check out the following day and were there when the ship opened. A beautiful day full of adventure, in fact at the end of the day, the captain called it the perfect day. Take 2 of the Maritime Museum and the USS Wisconsin was well worth the late departure. We spent a couple of hours climbing around the ship on deck and below. Fascinating. We have a whole new appreciation for those who serve on our ships after seeing the battleship.

By one, we were making our way out of Waterside Marina with a very tight squeeze between some big, big boats. We believe we were the smallest boat in this very small marina. We traversed through Norfolk with more military boats and restricted areas and were now transiting the Intracoastal Waterway. Norfolk is the beginning of the AICW – Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway – mile marker 0. Melbourne, FL, our winter destination is mile marker 918.5. Our hope is to be to New Smyrna Beach, FL for a family get together by the end of the month – MM 846. We lost 8 days of our cushion with the weather in Solomons. Logistically we can make it, as long as the weather plays to our favor. We also have a few ports to stop at that we did not on the way up and a few we would like a repeat. It’s Florida or bust!

Diesel prices are rising quickly, and we try to seek out the best prices along our route. After viewing fuel prices online, Tasha worked the phones to confirm pricing in the greater Norfolk area. We found a fuel dock just south of the city on the ICW selling diesel for $3.88 and confirmed by phone. It was .37 cheaper than any other we found. Pulling up to the pumps 42 minutes after the call, the price on the sign read $4.20. You have got to be kidding. David stayed at the helm (he knew better) while Tasha talked it out with the dock hands which led to the office staff. Ten minutes, a few cover your ass stories from four different people, finding the lower price on the pump screen, and a computer malfunction, our diesel was sold to us at $3.88. Our tanks hold 500 gallons, while not empty, it was still a lot of savings.

After a late start, a fueling stop, and waiting for openings to the lock and bridge we made it through the Great Bridge Lock and the Great Bridge Bridge late in the day. There are two first come docks in the Great Bridge area and we were hopeful to get a space there, just 12 miles from our starting point, for the night. It didn’t appear doable as the first free dock on the north side of the bridge was full of sailboats, one harboring the cutest golden retriever sitting so sweetly on the back of his boat.

We were the lead boat heading out of the lock and through the bridge with two boats behind us, a when we confronted a barge coming toward us as we motored under the bridge. A couple sailboats were tight behind him. As we came under the bridge, only one sailboat was tied up to the first come dock. Not knowing the intentions of the boats behind us or the sailboats barreling down the channel behind the tow boat, the captain took no chances.

As soon as we cleared the barge, the captain made a quick 180 in front of the sailboat following the barge and laid us up along the dock. It was a Captain Ron moment. That sailboat followed us in as well as sailboat behind us and by the time we got done tying our lines another sailboat had come in and the dock was full. Nine sailboats and us on the two free docks and full as soon as we get there. After that move the captain poured himself a drink and declared it the perfect day.

We knew the neighborhood as our boatyard was across the channel. We walked a few blocks to one of our favorite haunts for happy hour. Tasha thought that made it the perfect day as she didn’t have to prepare dinner.

Our perfect day included a beautiful sunset and a relaxing nights sleep. Three states in three days, a good start to our journey south.

The morning after the perfect day, a not so perfect start. When we aren’t hooked up to power, the captain runs the generator first thing for an hour awhile makes coffee and to top off the battery bank. The generator wouldn’t start. Crawling down into the engine room and trouble shooting was easy this day, the battery was dead. Just dead. This is our emergency battery, the one that always starts and will start the Cummins diesels should those batteries fail. Not today. Dave jumped the battery and in turned over very slowly, then finally started, you could hear the inverters begging for more power.

Luckily the boat yard was 100 yards across the channel with a nice ships store full of inventory. We called, yes, they had what we needed, score! Before heading across river we took a great walk through the woods along the water to lessen the stress of the morning. Couldn’t have been in a better place to get a battery. We laughed about biking to Sam’s Club and blowing the tires out with a 75lb battery. But heck we did it with $300+ of groceries, we could have made it! We had planned for a very short cruise day prior to the battery incident so we didn’t have to alter the itinerary.

What was intended to be a leisurely morning and a 32 mile run to Coinjock, was anything but. Just as the captain was finishing installing the new battery, a fleet of large boats passed us, headed south and in synch to meet the next bridge opening. We hurried and threw off the lines and took off much faster than our normal cruising speed to catch up just as the bridge opened. Five miles ahead was another bridge opening in 30 minutes, so we hung with the big boys to make that opening too. It was a crazy run to Coinjock, so much turbulence and movement in the water, even spreading out over a half mile or more the water bounced off the banks and coming back to hit us from a distance. We were the last and by far the smallest boat in the fleet.

Cruisers know Coinjock as the prime rib capital of the loop. We came north through the Dismal Swamp and did not cruise this way on our journey up, so this was our day for prime rib. The marina is located in a remote area south of Currituck Sound in North Carolina. A no nonsense marina in a good midpoint location for those transiting the East Coast with a restaurant with a famous prime rib dinner. There is a 1000 foot dock, and they pack ‘em in tight. Once the lay along is full, they start rafting. In prime season they line ‘em up 3 deep from one end to the other. We’re a little bit ahead of the pack but there are still a lot of boats transiting south, and the dock was full.

We bellied up to the bar and met our friendly bartender who indicated this was the first night the docks were full for the migration, and it would probably remain this way through early December. We shared the 32 oz. prime rib and it was everything you want your prime rib to be, nice seared crust on the outside, red in the center, and oh so tender, delicious! it was hard to leave half for our meal at anchorage the following night, but we did. We don’t eat beef often due to the captain’s heart healthy diet, but sometimes you just gotta live! And it was worth it!

We made a later start than normal, letting all the big boats depart prior to us. Most of the boats were in delivery mode and not owner operated which has them cruising fast and furious, we wanted to slip back into our pleasure cruise mode. The boat headed towards Belhaven down the North River and across the Albemarle Sound, into the Alligator River, across the Pungo River-Alligator River Canal and then into the Pungo River where we anchored for the night. So many rivers and waterways make up this Intracoastal waterway, we navigated five this day. It was a long, beautiful day, 92 miles in all over 10 hours and waters and winds couldn’t have been better. We encountered a couple of sailboats and one powerboat making it much more peaceful than the day before. Only one bridge needed opening and the tender opened it as we approached, can’t beat that!

We called for a slip in Morehead City to no avail as it was Seafood Festival weekend. So back to Beaufort we went and this time to Homer Smith Marina. What a wonderful, class act marina and a great way to end the week. Newly renovated this marina was sweet. Clean, well-manicured grounds, floating docks, attentive staff, great captain’s lounge, and all the little things like free laundry, courtesy car, and free ice. All the ice you could ever need with this huge, commercial, shovel needing machine. We enjoyed it so much we stayed a second night and glad we did as the winds kicked up and a cold front came through. This also gave Tasha time to use the large laundry machines and read a book in the comfy lounge while waiting.

The captain worked on cutting a larger hole in the transom to replace the freshwater intake supply and regulator. Having access to a vehicle should he need parts was a good thing and even better that it wasn’t needed. We always love it when a project goes as planned.

We went downtown for happy hour on the sky deck overlooking some BIG boats and a fabulous dinner on the deck at Moonrakers, one of our favorite dinners on the loop. And to top off a wonderful evening and week, MeTV came in clear, and the captain was able to view his Svengoolie show for the first time in weeks

Just over 700 miles to go!

Cheers!  David, Tasha,  

                  & Remy forever in our hearts!

 

Follow us on facebook for more frequent updates… Mann Aboard