Arrive Chocowinity 11 July

I sailed almost all the way back up the Pamlico River. There were rain showers off-and-on, but the rain was warm, and no strong wind. In fact, the last three days have been the most pleasant for the entire trip. Gosh it has been hot. Except for the heat, the most bothersome thing has been flies. Of course there was that really bad day, but most of the time I kept a fly swatter handy, and every few minutes would have to use it. I guess it was the time of year.

   Time to put Advent II to bed for awhile and become a dirt-dweller again. The fact of life are calling me. Thank you for going along with me. And if you have not been getting messages from the boat email check your spam folder to see what is there. And in a day or so there will be some pictures on Adventtwo.blogspot.com 

   See the following picture. I bought it new just before I left.

  Bill Doar

Monday, 09 July 2012 was a Dismal day

I have long said that the Waccamaw River north of Georgetown SC was the most beautiful place on earth. Not any longer. Going upstream from Elizabeth City, the Pasquotank River is even more beautiful than the Waccamaw. As you turn and wind your way upstream the river gets narrower and the lush banks and trees get closer. Occasionally you have to pick your way around a floating island. And then, about 15 miles along, you get to the locks which lift the boat about 10 feet, and "beautiful", "spectacular", becomes "stunning". The Dismal Swamp Canal is beautiful beyond description. The banks have cascades of vines from the trees to the water. Virgin forests and big trees on both sides. It is narrow, and the trees grow right on the canal banks, their limbs extending over the canal, sometimes more than half way. I had to be constantly aware of what was above me. I had to drive a serpentine course, dodging overhanging limbs. Walt Disney could not have created a more spectacular location. It truly is a national treasure.
  Today, Tuesday, is a really good day for boating. The heat has finally subsided, high only in the 80's, the sun is not baking down on me, and periodically I get a fresh water washdown. I am on my way to the upper Alligator River for tonight, then tomorrow on to Chocowinity.

  Bill Doar

pictures from Bill

Advent II at Hospital anchorage Norfolk

high but not dry at Deltaville

the Staten Island Ferry in Norfolk

carrier arriving Norfolk

Tuesday 03July

The Lord of the Flies, or,  Lordy! the Flies!
Before it gets too hot in the cabin to be fun I will try to write up my last two days. High today on the bay is to be low 90's, which is a lot better than the low 100's. Of course, the average for this date is 86 degrees, so we are well above normal.
  Will was excited when he learned that I was stopping at The Great Wicomico River. The geologic structure he is studying emerges to the surface at the Wicomico, as described in a 1901 publication. That is the Wicomico River. Not The Great Wicomico, or even another river, the Small Wicomico. But when I turned around I had the opportunity to go to the Wicomico, (or the Not-So-Great Wicomico as Normandie calls it.) Well it is a beautiful river. And I could have anchored anywhere along it if I wanted a longer stay. I motored a long way up the river to the Wicomico Creek, then went up the creek for a mile or so, to the co-ordinates Will had given me. His geologic outcroppings, at high ground along a beautiful river, had been developed. I took pictures, but unless one goes there and digs holes, nothing interesting can be gained. He and I both expected it to be like the bluffs on the Tar River between Greenville and Washington. So after discussing it with him on the telephone I turned around and headed back downstream.
  The day started with another save-yourself-first-then-look-out-for-the-boat thunderstorm. Will had seen it coming and had alerted me via telephone text. It was not as bad as the other two, but I was in exposed water and it lasted for 2.5 hours. I was glad when it ended. I was mightily tossed around. Then, after a pleasant cruise up and down the river the flies arrived. Many, many housefly sortta creatures, which would draw blood if one sat on the skin for about 20 seconds. And there were hundreds of them. Insect repellant only worked while it was still wet on my skin. I could protect myself with a swatter as long as I continually used it, at a rate of about one kill every five seconds. I had piles of dead flies on the floor, and many times the swatted fly on my leg would fall into my shoe. I had dead flies everywhere. At one point I had to sign off a telephone call with Normandie because I needed that hand to swat flies. It was spectacular. I had to control myself to keep from becoming frustrated. After I anchored I put up the screens and proceeded to kill them inside the cabin, which worked. At least that worked. And wonderfully, at nightfall I was not bothered on the foredeck.
  Today I have only occasional flies, controlled with the swatter. Give Thanks! And another reason to give thanks is that I have wind, and am actually sailing! I am on the Eastern Shore, and the wind is forecasted to be from the south at 10 kts. If this continues I will be able to go southwest, and cross the bay. I may end up at Deltaville for the night. That is where we picked up Bailey's new boat for a wonderful trip down to Sunset Beach. The last time I sailed to Deltaville I spent several hours aground with a crab pot on my propeller. So Deltaville has lots of memories for me.
  Tomorrow's forecast is for southwest wind at 10. I may be able to sail diagonally across the bay to Cape Charles, or maybe down to Norfolk. We'll see how it turns out. Except for the first day when I sailed down the Pamlico and up the Pungo, I have motored all day every day. Right now I am sailing a comfortable 3 knots. This is really a good change.
  Bill Doar
P.S.
It was an absolutely glorious sail across the bay to Deltaville; the kind of day I wish everyone could have been with me. I want to give this to everybody reading this (not at the same time, however). The wind was about 10 kts, the bay smooth, and Advent II "in her groove". It was wonderful. After all the motor-motor-motor in the blazing hot, it was just gliding along, and the breeze was only pleasantly warm; I never got hot. It was simply wonderful. No flies, a swim, shower, and sundowners as the full moon rises.

Sat June 30 Solomon's Island

A few days ago, after motoring over glassy seas in 100 degree heat, I anchored and went for a much needed and much appreciated swim. Gosh it was good. After I got out I saw the first jellyfish. Big and sinister, long and stringy. Then I saw another one. Well darn. Taking away my afternoon swim is like taking away my rum and sunset. Well now, that really limits me.
  Solomons Island is a lot like Oriental, NC. Lots and lots of boats. Various deep creeks wind around, with marinas one-after-another. There must be thousands of boats here. This morning I fueled, watered and iced. I motored all day every day from Coinjock NC where I last fueled, and didn't use but 25 gallons of diesel. I am happy about that. I also used 21 gallons of water in those six days (not so happy-the allocation was 2 gallons a day), and still had ice in the cooler (happy). Yesterday, after another of those 100 degree days, I got to Solomons Island, on the Patuxent River. I anchored out in the river instead of in the little enclosed anchorage behind the island, to get what little breeze there was. It was reasonably cool when I went to sleep after sunset on the foredeck, about 21:30. I was awakened about two hours later by a powerful thunderstorm. The Pax River Navy Air Station, which is within sight across the river, recorded 30 to 50 kt wind with higher gusts. I got it all. I dragged anchor for the first time, and the motion of the boat was so severe I couldn't do anything about it. Fortunately I could follow my "progress" on the chartplotter, and could tell when I was about to get into trouble. When the storm eased up I had dragged about 2/3 the way across the two mile wide river, right up close to the Air Station.  On the trip up I have been using the drifter whenever there was enough wind. I had it furled in front of the genoa, but while I know how to secure a genoa in case of bad weather, I apparently didn't know how to secure the drifter. She got loose and shredded. My first dragged anchor and my first shredded sail. I know why the sail got loose, but I do not know why the anchor did not hold. It is sized for a 60 foot boat, and I had out 100 feet of chain in 15 feet of water. I have gone from not knowing anything about boating and being humble, to having a lot of experience and knowing quite a lot, and  now back to being humble. Severe thunderstorms are forecasted again for tonight, and I am quite apprehensive.
  Speaking about being apprehensive, I have been quite apprehensive about my trip back home, trying to sail down the Chesapeake against the prevailing southerly wind. I need to be back on the 17th, and have been scheduling departing from Annapolis on the 9th. I have not been at all secure that I could do that. Well yesterday I learned that Ted, my host aboard the Liberty Ship "John W Brown", would be out of town next week. That eliminated my excuse for going to Annapolis, and after some consideration, decided to not continue up the Chesapeake, but rather start heading back to North Carolina. I had violated one of the rules of cruising: I can give a date (to meet someone), or I can give a place (to meet someone). But I can not be at a certain place on a certain date. When I met Normandie a few months ago in Turks & Caicos, I had two weeks of contingency to make sure I was there when she got there. I had only one day contingency on the 9 day trip back to NC. When I decided to not keep going but to start working my way back, I felt at peace. The apprehension was gone. Now I have 15 days to make it back, and on the way will be able to swim in the fresh waters of the Albermarle Sound, without jellyfish.
  Bill Doar
Occasionally check:  Adventtwo.blogspot.com  There is stuff there that I don't send to everybody, like pictures.