Regular readers have probably noticed that the blog posts have been few and far between for awhile. Between spending the year in Beaufort and then heading south to Vero for the winter, there hasn’t been much to write about. It’s pretty much been the same old, same old.
Jeff plays the best long game of anyone I’ve ever known. He has been ready to stop cruising for a few years now, but I haven’t. After being married for over 25 years, he knew better than to push the issue because I would just dig in. So he waited. And a few months ago, his patience was rewarded. I’m ready. It’s time to swallow the anchor.
We’ve had a good run. We’ve been living and cruising on Pegu Club since 2018, and we’ve made four trips to the Bahamas. But we’re both ready for more balance in our lives. We’re ready for it not to be all boat all of the time. We’re ready not to have our days ruled by the weather. And we’d like to actually SAIL for fun. Wake up one morning, check the wind direction, sail to an anchorage, spend the night swinging on the hook, and then return.
And so we find ourselves happily looking forward to the next phase of our lives. Where is that going to be? Well, ever since we started this adventure we’ve wondered where we would settle down. Each town found us asking, “Could we live here?”
We thought Beaufort, SC was the spot. The people are friendly, the scenery is pretty, and the winters are right up my alley! But being there for a year gave us the chance to really think about what we want and where we want to be.
Ultimately, Beaufort was too small (for us). We missed having global choices for restaurant cuisines and a plethora of weekly activities and events to choose from. As Jeff put it, even if we don’t always participate in those activities, there is something psychologically comforting about knowing they are there. We missed the architectural details in the housing stock farther north. Basically, we’re city-folk, and Beaufort wasn’t city enough. Beaufort was also not optimal for sailing – not by a long shot. It’s a few hours down a winding river to the sound and there are only a few anchorages to swing on the hook. And we sure miss sailing.
So believe it or not, after all of my proclamations that I would never put up with winter again, and after weighing the pros and cons, we decided where we want to be is farther north – specifically, Baltimore, MD. So we bought a slip at Anchorage Marina. What?? Yes.
You’re probably thinking, “Isn’t Baltimore just like The Wire?!” And yes, there are definitely neighborhoods you don’t want to be – but that’s no different than any other large city.
We’ve been drawn to Baltimore for awhile now, and repeat visits have confirmed it. People are friendly (for a large city), there are tons of things to do, the health care is excellent, and by train it’s an hour to D.C. (less via Amtrak), a bit over an hour to Philly, and 2 1/2 hours to NYC.
Anchorage Marina is in a great neighborhood with plenty of walkable amenities. The marina itself is very large with good facilities and a pool. We have several cruiser friends who have stayed there both short and long-term, and everyone has raved about the location and the friendliness of the boaters.
We decided to buy a slip because the price was very reasonable, and the low monthly fees give us an economical place to keep Pegu Club as long as we own her. And we most definitely are not selling her any time soon. In 17 months we can apply to live aboard, which we will, and we bought a 45′ slip in case we decide to buy a larger trawler to live on vs. a brick and mortar land home. In the interim, we’ll do long-term stays in other spots on the Chesapeake. And, of course, the Chesapeake has a long sailing season and a plethora of rivers and anchorages to explore.
Bottom line, we’re REALLY excited.
So after posting for over a decade, I’m calling it a wrap on the blog – but I’m not planning to take it down. I’ve been contacted by many people who have said it helped them with their refits and their plans. And we like looking back at old posts to see how far we’ve come.
If anyone is reading this and is unsure whether they can go cruising, if you have a well-found boat, then believe me, you can. We’ve done it on an almost 50 year old, 30 foot boat, and when we left the farthest we had ever sailed was from Groton, CT to Newport, RI (40 nautical miles.) Just take it day by day. It’s been the adventure of a lifetime, and I wouldn’t trade the experience at all.
Thanks for following along on our journey over the years. It’s been a blast. And I have no doubt that Jeff and I have more adventures to come.
After we left D.C., we made quick progress down the Potomac River and south to Norfolk.
Container ships heading up the Chesapeake towards Baltimore for loading and unloading. The port has almost 1,800 visits from ocean carriers annually.
It was on the James River when we were heading towards Norfolk that Jeff W learned why we suggested multiple times that he close the hatches while he is underway. I definitely bear some responsibility. A cargo ship was crossing our bow and I didn’t alter our course enough to avoid crashing into his wake.
The container ship.
For us, we merely took some water over the bow as Pegu Club plunged into the trough. But poor Jeff W was following us and when he took water over the bow it went down his hatches and onto his v-berth and main salon. I felt really badly about it, but Jeff took it in his normal good-nature and kept the hatches closed after that!
We must be getting close to Norfolk!
Jeff W wanted to see the Dismal Swamp, and that’s our usual choice on our travels (vs. the Virginia Cut), so we spent a few days moseying down the swamp and showing Jeff our usual docking spots.
Jeff W on Infinity going through his first ever lock.
He also got the chance to try his first Waffle House and gave it two thumbs up! The waitress thought he was great when he ordered one of almost everything on the menu!
Infinity and Pegu Club on what cruising friends of ours call “Boneham dock”. We always stop here, and are usually alone. We were glad to share with Infinity of course!
On the third day in the swamp we made a rare (for us) stop for an overnight at the Dismal Swamp Visitor’s Center. Jeff B and I don’t usually stop here because it’s crowded during transient season and you are expected to raft (tie the boats alongside each other so more can stay on the dock.) We were killing time though before we needed to make a car trip north to Annapolis, and it wasn’t busy, so we pulled over and enjoyed some hiking along the trails.
A replica liquor still on one of the trails.Pegu Club and Infinity rafted up together at the Visitors Center.
Jeff B and Jeff W also did a VERY good deed while we were there. A boat came up with a man who was about 75 or 80 at the helm. He was traveling by himself, and Jeff B and Jeff W went over to catch his lines and help him dock. While he was docking, he fell and hit his leg on his winch handle. This was an old-fashioned winch handle that had a point on the end, so when he fell it punctured his leg and he slid down it, opening up his shin and calf about four inches, down to the bone. Jeff B ran down into his boat and grabbed some bandages with some medical tape, and both Jeffs did a rudimentary, but quick, bandaging job. He was on blood thinners so there was a TON of blood.
Jeff W went up to the visitors center to tell them, and an ambulance arrived about 20 minutes later. In speaking with in later, Jeff W found out that the man was dying of blood cancer and was taking one last trip south. Almost two months later, Jeff B and I saw his boat at Isle of Hope Marina just south of Savannah, so he was still going! Good on him.
From the Dismal Swamp we made a stop for several days at Lamb’s Marina, a very basic but friendly place near Elizabeth City, NC. We were leaving our boats there so we could go to Jeff’s cardiology appointment in Annapolis, and Jeff W could make a surprise drive up to his home in Massachusetts to surprise his wife. She was VERY happy!
From Lamb’s we went to Elizabeth City (where we introduced Jeff W to Currituck BBQ), then we had an uneventful trip across the Albemarle before stopping to anchor in Belhaven for a few nights. Jeff W discovered the joy that is Mad Hatter Bakery and breakfast at O’Neil’s/Gingerbread and saw why we enjoy Belhaven so much.
The blimp hangar just south of Elizabeth City.
From there we bypassed Oriental and stopped in Beaufort, NC for a few days so Jeff W could get a part for his engine.
I don’t think we’ve ever seen a larger jellyfish!
Our friends on Mer du Jour were also there (who we had last seen in Annapolis), so we were able to get together with them again which is always a treat. We also went to the North Carolina Maritime Museum (a first visit for the three of us) which was VERY interesting. The docent working there took a shine to us, and gave us a special treat by taking us to a lookout on the roof which had a wonderful view!
Our weather continued to be spectacular. In fact, it was the best weather we’ve had of the five trips we’ve made south. We were able to jump outside from Beaufort, NC to Wrightsville Beach, an easy ride, and the first time the weather had ever cooperated enough for us to do it!
After a quick stop in Carolina Beach, we went out the Cape Fear inlet and in the Little River inlet to anchor at Bird Island.
We shared the Cape Fear River with this big guy.Heading out the Cape Fear inlet.
This was another first for us, and one we would definitely do again. Typically we go inside and anchor at Calabash, but that anchorage can be tight and there are sportfishing boats that really like to wake the anchored boats as they go by. Bird Island is MUCH deeper than the chart shows, with plenty of room for many anchored boats. It also is an easy in and out, and if you hop out there to Winyah Bay (like we did), you get to miss the drudgery and meh scenery of Myrtle Beach.
Jeff B and Jeff W did some metal detecting on Bird Island.
Of course the reward for making it through Myrtle Beach is you get to go through the Waccamaw River which is beautiful, and you miss that if you go outside, but we’ve seen that plenty of times. Outside was worth it. There wasn’t much wind so these were mostly motorfests, but the water was smooth and we were all loving life.
A beautiful sunrise as we left the Little River inlet.The water color was beautiful for this outside leg, reminding us somewhat of the Bahamas.Heading to our anchorage in Winyah Bay. You can see how flat the water is. The conditions were SO smooth.
We were marveling at what an incredible trip we’d had so far, even though I had begun to notice a slightly different sound in the engine while we were motoring – a sound that Jeff B hadn’t heard, so I decided it was nothing. I tend to fixate on any subtle difference in sound that comes from the engine, even though it’s always completely normal. Unfortunately, it wasn’t normal this time and our trip came to a screeching halt. You can read more about that starting with the October 31, 2023 post which you can find under the archives drop down.
OH NO!!
Little did we know at the time that the new engine would lead to a new experience for us – staying for a year in Beaufort, SC.
Fall, 2023: We left Cambridge and headed over to Solomons where we expected a strong blow to keep us in the anchorage for a few days. This was Jeff W’s first extended weather event at anchor, but we assured him that we had an excellent spot with nearly 360 degree protection. If it wasn’t for the trees moving, he wouldn’t even know it was blowing stink. I think he was skeptical, but by the end of the event he was a believer.
Infinity sitting quietly at anchor.This is the kind of anchor track we like to see after a few days of strong winds!
Looking ahead at the weather, it appeared that a system was moving in and plopping itself down for a week. It was going to blow hard on the Chesapeake, but the boundary line was on the western edge of the Bay. Jeff B and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to head up the Potomac and spend a few days in Washington, D.C. It’s something we’ve wanted to do for awhile, but it’s a good 80-90 nautical miles from the mouth of the Chesapeake to D.C. which for us means two days travel to get there and two days travel back. Add in a few days for sightseeing and you have a week of extra travel, something we had yet to make the time to do. This situation was ideal.
Jeff W is not a city person but he had not been to D.C. before. We told him he could spend a week waiting out the weather at anchor in Mill Creek near Reedville, which would be perfectly protected, or he could head up the Potomac with us. He chose to come along – good call!
We left Solomons with a rough plan as to where we would anchor along the Potomac, but as we entered the mouth of the Potomac and started bashing through the waves with the wind on the nose, I radioed Jeff W and said this was sucking, so we were calling it an early day. A quick look at the charts led us to Jutland Creek which was much more settled – thank goodness!
The next day called for great wind for sailing, and that’s exactly what we did. It was gorgeous. Infinity and Pegu Club were ripping along and we were all looking forward to sailing almost to the next anchorage. Alas, it was not to be. The military was practicing in the area and declared a security zone, so we fired up the engines and motored up the far eastern side of the Potomac – as far east as we could go. The military’s communications were excellent, telling us exactly what course to take until we were out of their way. Even though it was cut short, we still had an excellent sail that day. 54 nautical miles later, we dropped our anchors in Wades Bay. Another pretty, settled spot.
Up to this point we had been quite impressed with the scenery along the Potomac. I’m not sure what I expected, but it was VERY pretty with rolling hills and plenty of trees. I could easily spend a few weeks just to explore the different anchorages along the way.
Two bald eagles – a nice treat! Usually we only see one at a time.
Our third day of travel was going to take us into D.C. Just north of the anchorage we passed Mallows Bay Boat Cemetery. Mallows Bay has the Ghost Fleet, which consists of approximately 200 shipwrecks – the largest and most varied collection of historic shipwrecks in the Western Hemisphere spanning over three centuries. The hulls ended up there after a company bought the ships for salvage, sold what they could for scrap, then abandoned them (or burned them in some cases). It’s now a National Marine Sanctuary with the hulls providing a habitat for plants and animals. The next time we anchor in the area, I’d like to take the dinghy to explore the hulls.
We didn’t dare to get much closer due to the shallows, but as you can see, some of the hulls are still floating.
As we kept going north, we started dodging more and more logs and branches, and the countryside slowly gave way to a major metropolitan area which was a lot of fun. Helicopters and airplanes were flying overhead, and we joked that they were keeping an eye on us. After the quiet of Cambridge and Solomons, this was a nice jolt of energy. We passed Quantico, Mount Vernon, and Fort Washington, getting closer with every mile.
Fort Washington.
Approaching National Airport was a blast. I’m guessing it was the equivalent of rush hour for them, because airplanes would land as soon as the runway was clear from another airplane taking off. The synchronization was VERY impressive, and the river took us right by the airport so we were highly entertained.
From there it was just a few minutes to our mooring at The Wharf. Honestly, there isn’t a better deal in Washington D.C. For $50/night we had a protected mooring with excellent facilities, and a short walk to the grocery store, the metro, tons of restaurants, etc. We would absolutely stay there again. And the view was fantastic!
The view from our boat. Can you imagine how much a hotel would have cost?
We spent five nights in D.C. which gave us plenty of time to explore, relax, and work on boat projects. Jeff W took his first subway ride, and we all enjoyed going to the Museum of American History and the Museum of Natural History. Jeff B and I spent a few days going to some of our favorite memorials and monuments, and we also went to a few more Smithsonian Museums.
My dad was a huge fan of MASH, and so am I. Seeing the sign at the Museum of American History felt like he was saying, “Hi!”It had been several years since our last visit to D.C., so the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial was a new one for us.We spent a bit of time roaming around the Eastern Market (that’s Jeff W in the foreground.)The helicopters flew right over the mooring field several times a day, which was cool (and loud.)
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial is one of my favorites. Jeff B and I spent quite a bit of time there.
We ate plenty of great food, did tons of walking, and came across an awesome setting to watch the Buffalo Bills game on TV – The Bullpen. Steps away from Nationals Stadium in Navy Yard, this was not what we expected when we went to find a Bills Backers bar. They had stadium food and beer, and the atmosphere was a ton of fun. Even better was that the Bills won!
The weather was picture perfect during our entire stay – Chamber of Commerce weather, as my dad used to call it. It couldn’t have been a better spontaneous detour. Certainly MUCH better than being holed up on the boat in an anchorage for a week. It was a great example of how sometime the best cruising memories are made when you keep your plans flexible and spontaneous.
We’ll definitely be heading up the Potomac again in the future!
After an active, entertaining summer, it was time to get ready to cut the docklines and head south again for our fifth trip to the Bahamas. But before we went south, we needed to go north. Wait – what?
Our good friends Jeff and Denise W. on SV Infinity had decided to make their first trip south to the Bahamas. Denise was going to retire after the new year, so we had agreed to buddy boat with Jeff who would single-hand down there. But in order to buddy boat, he needed to get his boat from Groton to Cambridge, MD.
That’s how on Labor Day weekend, Jeff B and I found ourselves dropping off our car in Baltimore at a storage lot and taking the Amtrak to New London. We were very much looking forward to traveling with Jeff W and seeing what it was like to sail for a length of time on a larger boat (he has a Catalina 34).
Jeff W at the helm as we leave Shenny.One last look for awhile (for us) at the UConn Avery Point campus next to Shenny.
Although there wasn’t any wind (typical), the weather smiled on us for the first leg of the trip. We went from Groton to Port Jefferson where we anchored for a few days, and actually went into town for the first time.
A beautiful sunset for Jeff W’s first evening of his adventure.
Jeff B and I have anchored in Port Jefferson several times, but we’ve never been into the town. This time we found a marina where we could tie up the dinghy for $10. Jeff W. has some ancestors from Port Jefferson that were involved in the Culper Spy Ring, so we did a self-guided tour checking out some of the related historical buildings.
The Samuel Thompson House. C. 1700, this is one of the best examples of colonial timber frame construction. Samuel Thompson and his son were farmers, Revolutionary War Patriots, and town leaders.The Setauket Presbyterian Church and Cemetery. The present church was built in 1812 and contains the grave of spy Abraham Woodhull.
It was a VERY hot day, so by the time we were finished walking around it was time to quench our thirst with a beer at the local brewery, followed by an ice cream chaser. While we were getting ice cream, Jeff W was able to see one of the delights of cruising when we unexpectedly ran into cruising friends there!
As far as the brewery goes, you have to understand that I don’t like beer. I’m a hard alcohol or cider gal, and I have yet to find a beer that I like. I figured I’d have a cider while Jeff B and Jeff W had beers. But when I told the bartender that I didn’t like beer, she told me there was a beer for everyone and suggested I try a sour. Damned if she wasn’t right! There IS a beer for everyone! Unfortunately, I discovered later that afternoon that sours have lactose in them, and I am lactose intolerant unless I take two Lactaids (which I took when I had the ice cream, but apparently the damage was already done from the sour). Safe to say, I will be sticking with my stance that I don’t like beer.
I’m happy because I don’t yet realize that there is lactose in this sour that I’m drinking.
The next day we were off to Port Washington, one of Jeff B’s and my favorite stops on Long Island Sound.
It’s almost impossible to go to Port Jefferson without sharing the channel with the ferry either entering or exiting. Fortunately, it’s a wide channel!
We were lucky enough to spend 4 days in Port Washington while we waited for a window to go down the New Jersey coast. It was just enough time for Jeff W to thoroughly enjoy the pleasures of Port Washington (like Carlos Pizza). The two Jeffs even had a chance to go metal detecting where they had an unexpected adventure.
It was supposed to rain later that day, but they figured they could do some finding and get back to the boat before the rain started. I, having no interest in metal detecting, decided it was a good morning to do laundry. We all piled in Jeff W’s dinghy where they dropped me off before heading to the park and tying off their dinghy at the dock. After going through an open gate, the two Jeffs had been metal detecting for only around 1/2 hour when the sky opened and it started pouring rain.
Running for the dinghy, they discovered that the gate was closed and locked. Uh-oh. They tried to find a different way to get around the fence to the dinghy dock with no luck. By now they were soaking wet with no way to get to the dinghy, so they called the Port Washington Water Taxi (who runs the moorings) and the driver was kind of enough to pick them up at another spot, take them to the dinghy, and then tow it back so the two Jeffs could stay dry on the taxi. Now that’s customer service! We do love Port Washington!
A union was having a conflict with management and had set up the traditional rat to let everyone know. When so much has changed over the years, it’s nice to see that some traditions (like the inflatable rat) continue.
After a few days we had a weather window to go down the Jersey Coast, up the Delaware, and over to the Chesapeake. It was going to be a motorfest, but that’s nothing to complain about on that route. In addition, this was our first time doing the trip with more than the two of us, and Jeff W’s first overnight.
We all thoroughly enjoyed the trip down the East River (Jeff W’s first time!):
Jeff W is ready to go through Hell Gate.Getting ready to head down the East River.Seeing the Empire State Building is always fun.Lots of ferry traffic. These guys are completely professionals. No concerns about them whatsoever.The iconic Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline. This leg of the trip never gets old.
We popped out of New York Harbor and started working our way down the coast. What a difference having three people on board makes! Our watches were 4 hours on, 8 hours off, so we were actually able to get some good sleep overnight. Well, Jeff W was so excited that he didn’t really sleep much, but Jeff B and I definitely slept!
It was a calm overnight and we were making good time, so even though the current would be primarily against us, we continued through the Cape May Canal and halfway up the Delaware, dropping the anchor in Cohansey Creek. Jeff W was glad we had made it so far, but he agreed that fighting the current on the Delaware Bay sucks. It’s a boring enough stretch as it is without having to go slower than necessary!
The next morning Jeff W started to raise the anchor and realized there was an issue. His anchor rode (which consisted of some chain and primarily line) was wrapped around his wing keel. Hmmm. This was a first. We weren’t going anywhere until that was resolved. Working together, Jeff W got into his dinghy and started trying to turn the boat. Initially it wasn’t working, but then he pushed the boat the other way and we started quickly hauling up the line. Success!
We had timed this stretch so we would have the current in our favor, so we zoomed up the Delaware, across the C&D Canal, and dropped the anchor in Worton Creek. Eight days after leaving Groton, we were on the Chesapeake – definitely a record of us!
The obligatory picture of the nuclear power plant on the Delaware Bay.
Next up was Annapolis – as long time readers know, one of our favorite spots on the East Coast. Jeff W had been there by land before and enjoyed it, but being there on a boat is a whole different experience. He was thoroughly charmed!
We had made such good time that we needed to slow down a bit. After all, it was only mid-September and we didn’t want to get too far south when hurricane season was still going strong. So we decided to spend a week in Annapolis on one of the Spa Creek $25 moorings before moving on to Cambridge. There we would pick up Pegu Club and start buddy boating per the definition of the phrase.
While in Annapolis we took Jeff W to Davis’ Pub (a local hangout in Eastport).
Jeff W also had his first official cruisers get-together. Our good friends on Mer du Jour had arrived, so we joyfully got together with them and some of their boating friends at one of Annapolis’ Irish pubs. The owner was good friends with one of the group and kindly sent us all a free shot of Irish whisky.
We took Jeff to Bacon Sails (an excellent marine consignment store), and we made a last-minute decision to go to the Renaissance Faire which was still going on! It was Jeff W’s first Faire, and he had a great time (how can you not?).
The King and Queen and their court.
Jeff B and Jeff W also spent a day doing some metal detecting at Sandy Point State Park which gave me the unexpected opportunity for some alone time! Wow!
People often express amazement that Jeff and I have been together on our 30′ boat since August of 2018. We are often asked how we do it, and how we it’s possible that we are still together. LOL! Fortunately, we make a great pair! Plus, we each have our side of the boat in the main cabin where we get “alone” time by putting in our AirPods and watching movies/tv shows/YouTube videos/general surfing. But TRULY alone time is rare unless Jeff is metal detecting or I’m out for a walk. But now I was going to have almost half of a day to do whatever I wanted, and I was excited!
So what did I do? I started out by treating myself to a late breakfast at Chick n’ Ruth’s downtown, and then I decided to go to the Naval Academy to see John Paul Jones’ crypt.
Commodore John Paul Jones was a great Naval leader of the American Revolution who died in Paris at the age of 45 during the French Revolution. He was buried on property owned by the French Royal family, and that property was sold four years later by France’s revolutionary government where the cemetery was subsequently forgotten.
Over a century later, a search began to find his body so that it could be brought back to the United States. The cemetery had been built over but was discovered, and basement walls and streets were tunneled through until his casket was found and disinterred.
The casket was ultimately laid to rest in the Naval Academy’s Chapel in 1913. It’s very impressive, with a 21-ton sarcophagus supported by bronze dolphins, and columns of black and white marble. Inscribed around the base of the tomb are the names of the Continental Navy ships that he commanded during the American Revolution.
I wrapped up the day with a self-guided tour of the Maryland State House (I’m such a government nerd.) The two legislative chambers are impressive:
And so are the glass ceilings:
Surprisingly, the State House also had a beautiful silver collection made in 1906 by silversmiths in Baltimore. The set shows scenes from the history of all of Maryland’s counties and Baltimore city, and the economy and culture of the state are symbolized in the borders. I spent quite a bit of time looking at each piece – it was fascinating.
Eventually it was time to meet the two Jeff’s at the dinghy to head back to the boat. We all had a great day in our own ways.
One of the nights in Annapolis, I woke up around 2:00 a.m. because I heard Jeff W get up. I asked him what was going on. It turns out that he woke up because he heard voices coming from the bridge near our boat. It was a group of drunk twenty-somethings encouraging their friend “Dave” to jump off the bridge. Jeff W heard this for a bit, and then he heard a “ploop” which was Dave hitting the water.
At that point I had woken up, and Dave’s friends, newly soberish, were encouraging him to swim over to the bank. “Swim, Dave! Over there, Dave! Swim!” I suggested that we call 911 and Jeff W was thinking about getting his dinghy to rescue drunk Dave when we heard the cavalry coming. Fire trucks, police, ambulance, the whole works. At that point we decided to sit back and watch the show.
It was clear that this was a not-uncommon occurrence, because the rescue service quickly got to work. They were peering over the bridge, looking for Dave, and at one point one of them clapped his hands twice, hard, and said in a deep voice, “Hey! Moron! Over here!” Jeff W and I burst out laughing at that point. Ultimately, Dave was rescued and presumably he was taken off to the drunk tank to sober up. Dave became a running joke for us for the rest of the trip.
After a great week it was off to Cambridge where Jeff W planned to take care of some boat work for a few days and we were going to finalize our preparations to take Pegu Club south for the fifth time. Jeff W had what he declared was the best hamburger ever at RAR Brewing, and then we were off to head south in earnest.
Once we were settled in our slip at Cambridge Municipal Marina, it was time to tackle some boat projects, make some trips to Connecticut for doctor appointments, and have some fun!
Our first priority was to bring the car down from where we were storing it in Connecticut. Cambridge is very small, and we didn’t have a car when we were here for Covid summer which was pretty constraining – even without the separate issue of Covid! This time, once we brought the car down, we were free to roam and see if the Eastern Shore of Maryland was someplace we could settle down some day (Spoiler alert: it’s not. It’s too small for us.)
The marina is very protected which basically means that an AC is mandatory once July rolls around, so we bought a small window unit and Jeff made a frame out of plywood so we could install it in the companionway. Last time we installed it in the hatch and didn’t really care for that location. Fortunately, the companionway worked out much better even though it’s a bit of a stretch for me to step over it.
For the rest of the summer we basically traveled to Annapolis or Baltimore every week or two, taking in the larger city vibe.
Jeff did some metal detecting at Sandy Point State Park:
Cambridge had its annual Choptank Heritage Skipjack Race which we enjoyed watching from the docks at the marina. Skipjacks were traditionally used on the Chesapeake for oyster dredging, and less than 20 still sail:
We also hauled out the boat at the Yacht Maintenance Company in town. We had a list of things to take care of including preventative maintenance on our dripless shaft seal by replacing the bellows a year before what is recommended. We weren’t sure when we would be hauling out again, and we did NOT want that part to fail. Basically, water would start gushing into the boat and we’d be lucky to avoid sinking. Better safe than sorry when it comes to that particular maintenance item. Between the PSS, new bottom paint, and several coats of wax that Jeff put on, Pegu Club was spiffy and ready to go by the time she went back into the water.
Yacht Maintenance Company was great and VERY reasonably priced. You can tell it’s a small community because when it was time for us to leave, they said they hadn’t written up the invoice yet so we could just go and they’d e-mail it to us! Typically, a yard won’t let you leave with the boat until you pay. Needless to say, we were surprised and charmed. We wouldn’t hesitate to use them again.
Once our boat projects were done, it was time to have fun again. And the highlight of the summer was yet to come.
Unbeknownst to us, Maryland has a large Renaissance Festival every year on the edge of Annapolis. It’s held on permanent grounds over nine weekends that are chock-full of performers. It’s actually one of the largest Renaissance Festivals in the U.S., covering 27 acres with 1,300 participants. There are more than 130 craft shops, 42 food outlets, 8 major theaters, 4 smaller stages in taverns, a children’s area, and a jousting field with seating for 3,000.
We had never been to one, but my sister and her husband have been to several. It sounded like a blast, and after talking to her we decided to give it a try. What followed was a day of laughter, entertainment, revelry, and merriment. We weren’t dressed up, but we enjoyed watching the people who were. And the amazing thing is that although there are usually 15,000 attendees each day, everyone was having a good time. No one was drunk, there weren’t any fights. It was just pure joy and pleasure. The food was good and very reasonably priced, and so was the beer and mead. Huzzah!
Jeff enjoying the traditional meat on a stick before we watched Paolo Garbanzo, an international jester and juggler extraordinaire. Ballerina fight! Ballerina fight! Architecture fight! Architecture fight! (You had to be there.)The King and Queen of Revel Grove.Jeff loves birds of prey, so the falconry show was a must-see.My sister loves owls, so of course I had to take this picture.
The costumes were wonderful:
The Topsy Turvy Twins were fun.
The Piper Jones Band was great!
And we finished up the day watching the jousting match:
All in all it was a great time, and VERY reasonably priced for a full day of entertainment. As we drove back to Cambridge, we agreed that we would need to make it an annual event if at all possible. Huzzah!
Looking back at my blog posts, I realized I’m much farther behind than I thought. I hadn’t even finished our last trip north! I looked back through photos and the old posts to refresh my memory and it all came flooding back. So here we go. Heads up: this is a long post. You’ve been warned.
After our cold, wet, splashy trip through the Alligator-Pungo canal so we could grab a very brief weather window to cross the Albemarle, we found ourselves with several days before we needed to be in Norfolk for the next decent weather window. We typically take the Dismal Swamp north and south, and the length of time we spend along that route is dictated by our next weather window. In this case, we had time to spare so we decided to stop at the Janette Brothers free dock for a night and wander about.
We weren’t that crazy about Elizabeth City the first time we visited, but it’s grown on us somewhat. It’s still not one of our favorite stops, but it does have a top-notch BBQ joint called Currituck BBQ. That alone makes Elizabeth City worth the visit.
Since we started making this trip in 2018, Elizabeth City has added a brewery and several restaurants and coffee shops. A section of restaurants are found along Pailin’s Alley, where you can dine in the alley under the lights.
Elizabeth City also has a lovely historic district with gorgeous houses from the 1800’s along the street that leads to and from Currituck BBQ. I foolishly didn’t take pictures of the houses, but I did take it of the BBQ! Priorities, you know.
Pulled pork for Jeff, burnt ends for me.
We thought “The Kraken” was a cute name for a coffee house:
And this was a great poster to have in the brewery:
We had hoped to scoot along the Dismal Swamp and head up the Chesapeake right away upon arriving in Norfolk, but it was not to be as strong northerly winds had everyone pinned down. Heading straight into a strong wind up the Chesapeake is not our idea of a good time. We did that once heading down the Chesapeake, and it was the closest I’ve ever come to selling the boat. Never again.
Another nice trip up the Dismal Swamp, finally making it into Virginia:
However, making lemonade out of lemons (as we try to do), we discovered that the last day we would be waiting in Norfolk was also the first day of the annual Harborfest. This is the United States’ largest, longest-running, free maritime festival, and we were psyched that we’d have this entertainment right off our cockpit while we were anchored.
Although we were only able to watch the first day (travel conditions were good for the second day of the Harborfest and we were still trying to make it to Connecticut for the summer), we did get to enjoy the tall ships parade and a Coast Guard Search and Rescue demo. There was also supposed to be a drone show that evening, but unfortunately it was cancelled.
When we woke up the morning of Harborfest, we looked out the port and saw that this guy had snuck in during the night:
The Tall Ships parade started with this tug spraying its hoses. It’s always fun to see how high the water can go!
More boats spraying water:
Then the tall ships started coming in:
Then this guy came in to show off:
And after lunch the Coast Guard rescue demonstration began:
It was a fun day, and we certainly wouldn’t mind being in Norfolk for Harborfest again if the timing were to work out.
Finally, finally, the wind settled down so we could make our way up the Chesapeake. We had just enough time to make it to Annapolis where we would have to wait again, but that wasn’t a hardship given how much we love it there.
With no wind, why didn’t we just motor outside from Norfolk to Connecticut or New Jersey? Because, unfortunately, our Pelagic autopilot was on the fritz again. Having hand steered our first year from Norfolk to Groton, Connecticut, we knew there was no way we were going to do that again. Our goal was to get the Pelagic replaced while we were in Annapolis so we could once again have an autopilot when we didn’t have enough wind for Bob the Monitor.
When we arrived in Annapolis, we contacted Scanmar about replacing the Pelagic. This was the second one we had trouble with, and they were happy to replace it with another one as long as we sent the old one back first and paid for the shipping. Looking at the weather, we had a solid window to make it the rest of the way up the Chesapeake, down the Delaware, and up the New Jersey Coast as long as we sent the old Pelagic back via overnight shipping and had the new one sent to us the same way. The shipping costs were almost the same as buying a new Pelagic, but the clock was ticking and we really needed to grab this window to get to Connecticut.
So we shipped off the Pelagic and then spent the rest of that day and the next day enjoying Annapolis, knowing the new one would arrive on the third day. Not so fast. But first, some scenes from the charming city of Annapolis:
Sailing is SUCH an ingrained part of the culture here. Kids sailing camps are ubiquitous during the summer:
Boats under 35′ can take a mooring in the Spa Creek mooring field for only $25/night – buy six nights, get the seventh night free. It’s so much more protected than the front 40, and it has a very nice view of the school and the bridge.
The Maryland State House is the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use, and is the only state house ever to have serviced as the nation’s capital:
We explored the Old Fox Books and Coffeehouse bookstore for the first time. It’s a great local bookstore right in downtown Annapolis:
So now it’s day three and our Pelagic is scheduled for delivery at the Annapolis Harbormaster’s office by noon. Then, a message popped up saying it had been delayed until the next day. Wait! What? We called FedEx and they said they had tried to deliver the package but the office was closed for the Juneteenth holiday. This was complete B.S. The dockmaster’s office is open every day. We knew they hadn’t tried to deliver it at all. Could we take an Uber to the Fed Ex distribution center to get it? No, they said. It was still on the truck. It would be delivered the next day. Grrrr.
Day four. The Pelagic is scheduled for delivery at the Annapolis Dockmaster’s office by noon. Then, a message popped up saying it had been delayed until the next day. WHAT???? We called FedEx and they said the driver couldn’t get to the Harbormaster’s office because the street was closed for the Juneteenth parade. This, again, was complete B.S. The street was GOING to close, but wasn’t closed when the Fed Ex delivery guy claimed he had tried to deliver it. AAAUUUGHHH!
By now our frustration was through the roof. We had been fighting the weather for six weeks trying to get back to Connecticut. We had paid several hundred dollars for overnight delivery of our Pelagic which had now failed to be delivered for two consecutive days. And after day five (assuming the Pelagic showed up), our weather window was slamming shut again. Fuck. This. Shit. We were angry. We were frustrated. We were done. We were throwing in the towel and going to spend the summer in Cambridge, MD instead (where we spent Covid summer.)
Once the decision was made, we relaxed for the first time in six weeks. We booked a slip for the summer at Cambridge’s Municipal Marina, waited out some weather, and motored across the bay with our new Pelagic (which was working – yay!) to our slip.
As we left Annapolis to head to Cambridge, we were passed by Aphrodite which is well known to boaters in Southern New England. We wouldn’t be seeing her in Connecticut during the summer, so it was nice get a last glimpse of her again. Lucky captain.
The new Pelagic – hopefully the third one will be the charm:
Now that I’ve given you this ear worm courtesy of Todd Rundgren, let’s get down to business.
It’s been a VERY long blog break while we have been in Beaufort, SC building up the cruising kitty and seeing if it’s our forever place. More on that later. In the meantime, I’m ready to get blogging again, and I’d like to start by filling in the gaps from last year’s trip south. I’m glad people enjoy reading the blog, but I started this way back when as a visual diary, so to speak, for Jeff and me. We get a lot of pleasure looking at old blog posts and seeing how far we’ve come, and I’ve blogged our entire journey except for last fall before our engine failed.
So if you don’t find old adventures interesting, check back again in a few weeks. There are definitely more adventures on the Pegu Club to come.
Perhaps the only good thing that came out of needing a new engine is that it caused to us to sit down and take a really hard look at what we want out of cruising and our post-cruising life. After all, we aren’t going to travel on Pegu Club forever. We were going along day-to-day on autopilot, but when Big Red died we heard the sound of a needle scratching on a record. We found ourselves looking at each other and saying, “What’s next?”
Last summer we decided to make Annapolis our cruising home base. It shortened up the travel time to get south and north which would allow us to have a bit more balance between traveling vs. staying in one place. I could drive the water taxi during the summers, and in a pinch we could stay over for the winter if a health issue prevented us from going south. We registered the car in Maryland, got our drivers licenses, rented a new UPS Store mailbox, and moved the items in our small storage unit from Groton to Annapolis.
With the need for an engine replace to the tune of $15,000, there was no doubt we were going to need to stay in Annapolis for a winter and fluff up the cruising kitty. Our savings were reaching a point we weren’t comfortable with, so it was time to work for a bit. But living on the boat in Annapolis? In the winter? Even plugged into a dock, this was NOT what we wanted. It was one thing to be forced into it for health reasons. We could suck that up. But for this? That’s not what we envisioned when we decided on Annapolis.
Long time readers of this blog know that our number one favorite spot is Beaufort, SC. From our first visit, we knew it’s where we wanted to buy a house when we swallowed the anchor, and our love for the area has only grown each year. In fact, we had decided to make it our home base last year, but my worry about hurricanes had us switching to Annapolis within a few days of that decision.
Well, it turns out my aversion to cold is MUCH stronger than my worry about hurricanes. So we decided to move our home base to Hilton Head. Why Hilton Head and not Beaufort? Because I could easily get a captain’s job there to pad our savings. That isn’t the case in Beaufort, but we would be less than an hour away so visiting friends and getting tomato pie would be easy-peasy. But then fate intervened.
I was offered – and accepted – a position as the dock master at Lady’s Island Marina in Beaufort. WHAT?? Yep!!
Back in 2020, we spent a week at Lady’s Island Marina. The owner touched on the idea of my working there, but we had only been cruising for two seasons and weren’t ready to give it up. Ever since then, I had wished the timing had been different so I could have worked at the marina. Well, now the timing is right. It’s my dream job in our dream location.
We are both thrilled with this opportunity. We love Beaufort – the low country scenery, the friendly people, the delicious food, the top-notch beach at Hunting Island State Park. We’re close to Charleston and Savannah when we want a taste of a larger city. We’ll get enough winter so that it feels like the seasons are changing, but not so harsh that I’ll spiral into my seasonal winter depression that I used to get in Connecticut. It will be hot as hell in the summer, but that’s what air conditioners are for. And I’ll take heat over cold any day.
So are we permanently swallowing the anchor? Not necessarily. We both feel we have a few more seasons left in the Bahamas, and we really like the idea of being so close to it. There’s no need to spend 6+ weeks just getting down to our jumping off point to cross over. We could dawdle, do nothing but day trips, and be in Lake Worth in around 10 days. So we’re going to take it year by year, just like with cruising.
And what about the blog? I have a few posts drafted that I still want to post, but obviously I won’t be posting as frequently as I used to. I started the blog as a “memory book” so to speak for Jeff and me, so I’ll keep posting with that in mind. Day trips by land, weekend trips on the boat (yes, we’ll still be using Pegu Club – she won’t simply be a dock queen), the occasional vacation, future trips to the Bahamas. We’ll see how it develops.
It’s all a big change for us, but morale is sky high on the Pegu Club. And we wouldn’t be in this position if Big Red hadn’t catastrophically failed. Talk about making lemonade out of lemons!
Marine mechanics get a bad rap – oftentimes deservedly so. Calls go unreturned, people don’t show up when they say they will, the estimate skyrockets, the job isn’t done right. But one shop that deserves every accolade that can be given is W.W. Williams.
We had never even heard of W.W. Williams until our engine died. I reached out onto various Facebook pages and received nothing but good reports. So we contacted them, and TJ (their marine engine representative) immediately responded. He followed that by sending us an estimate when he said he would (within two days).
Contrast that with Zimmerman in Charleston who told us it would be at least 10 days before we could get hauled out, but they would give us an estimate in a few days. That’s literally the last time we heard from them until we got the bill for the work that the mechanic had done trying to solve our issue. Of course by the time we got the bill, we had already moved on to Isle of Hope Marina where W.W. Williams would take care of the engine – and with no need for a haul out!
When the engine arrived at W.W. Williams, TJ texted us with pictures to let us know along with the condition it was in (new). He asked us to text us when we arrived at the marina on Sunday, and when we did he immediately responded and said the mechanic would be at our boat at 9:00 the next day.
TJ texted us on Monday at 8:30 when the mechanic was on his way, and Thomas showed up right on time. At $200/hour, we had already removed the kitchen cabinet ourselves so we could save a bit of money, so he immediately got to work. Within 3 1/2 hours the engine was out and on its way back to W.W. Williams where Thomas was going to swap some parts to put on the new engine, and remove a few others that we had requested to keep as spares.
Thomas said he would be back on Wednesday, so we took advantage of the empty engine bay to do some cleaning and painting. We weren’t able to do that when we had the first Beta installed because the temperature was in the teens, and Jeff was still recovering from being in the hospital. After an afternoon of work, we had a shiny, white engine bay!
The engine is out and the cleaning has begun!It’s a good thing I can fit into small spaces!Oooh! Clean and shiny white!
On Wednesday morning Thomas came back with the new engine and our spares. Not only had he removed the spares we requested, but he also removed, as he put it, “the parts I would want to have on board as spares.” Everything was neatly labeled in separate large Ziplock bags and stored in a box for us. We were VERY impressed.
We made ourselves scarce so we could stay out of his way and spent our time exploring Savannah. Our plan was to visit my Uncle and Aunt near Atlanta that weekend, so we had already rented a car. We took full advantage of it.
We explored the Plant Riverside District for the first time which was very cool. The lobby of the district’s JW Marriott hotel was unlike any hotel lobby we had seen. Converted from an old power plant, there was a rare gemstones and fossils exhibit, along with a life-size chrome dinosaur of the largest dinosaur ever discovered at 135 feet long. Cranes and pulleys from the old plant were still attached to the ceiling, and there were multiple interactive exhibits that talked about subjects ranging from the old power plant and district to the various minerals on exhibit. We were quite surprised to see all of this, and spent several hours there.
It’s not every day you see a chrome dinosaur. One of the gemstones is at the bottom of the frame.Since it was the Christmas season, there was a large, very impressive gingerbread house on exhibitThere was also a holiday market display along the riverwalk.I love the old steps that take you down to the river, but you definitely have to walk VERY carefully.
We also went to the Wormsloe State Historic Site where the tabby ruin is the oldest standing structure in Savannah. There were walking paths and a very good visitor’s center, but the highlight of the site is undoubtedly the one-mile long live oak-lined avenue that leads to the visitor’s center. My picture doesn’t do it justice. It’s stunning:
The live oaks are side-by-side for the entire mile of the road.
You can’t go to Savannah without eating good food, and we checked out Sweet Potatoes Kitchen which is known for its amazing fried chicken and banana pudding. They only serve fried chicken twice a week, and it was to-die for. I grabbed this picture from the internet:
SO good! The banana pudding was also very good, but a tad sweeter than I prefer.
Of course after eating fried chicken and banana pudding, regular walks were in order to make up for it. Fortunately, Isle of Hope is a beautiful area with lovely scenery for afternoon walks:
By Thursday at noon – 3 1/2 days after TJ had begun – the engine was installed and we were back in business. To say that we were impressed in an understatement. The total cost came in well under the estimate which was fantastic. To be fair, when Thomas gave us the estimate it was VERY generous because they hadn’t been able to lay eyes on the engine, and unexpected things always pop up. But since we had just gone through this 5 years ago (sigh), and we were swapping like for like, there wasn’t anything unexpected TO pop up. It was probably the easiest engine replacement TJ had all year.
Son of Big Red, installed and ready to go. Let’s hope it lasts a lot longer than Big Red.
After a great visit with my Uncle and Aunt, it was time to cut the dock lines again. But we weren’t heading south this time. BIG changes were ahead for us. Stay tuned!
We spent a relaxing, wonderful eight nights in Beaufort before setting sail again for Isle of Hope. We hit all of our favorite spots, took care of a few small boat projects, and soaked up the energy of being in our favorite place.
Our classic charcuterie board to celebrate arriving in Beaufort. SV Infinity has named it a “Peguterie board.”
It’s not a stop in Beaufort without getting tomato pie from Low Country Produce. We were trying to remember how we learned about it and decided it must have been somewhere on the internet. All I know is that we’ve had one every time we’ve stopped here since we started cruising back in 2018.
Mmmmmm!It just doesn’t get any better than this.
It seems like whenever we’re in Beaufort, we always see a few classic cars parked downtown:
Sweet!
This was our second Thanksgiving in a row in Beaufort. There’s a Publix only a 15 minute walk away from the dinghy dock where we once again were able to buy the fixings for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner:
And proof that Beaufort just keeps getting better and better, there’s a Waffle House just down the street from the Publix! Yes! One chocolate chip waffle and hash browns scattered, smothered, diced, and capped please!
Finally it was time to reluctantly leave and head towards Isle of Hope to get the engine replaced. Once again, the weather gods were smiling on us. All week in Beaufort there either hadn’t been wind or it was in the wrong direction. But on departure day we had good wind for an easy sail to our anchorage at Bull Creek.
I think people must feed this pelican at the Bull Creek anchorage. He flew down, landed right by us, and hung around for awhile. We’ve never had that happen before. The different color gradations in his feathers was very cool to see up close.
All good things must come to an end, however, which it did on our last travel day. It was cold, rainy, and raw, and there was no wind. With the dinghy side-tied, the two-stroke Yamaha did a great job of pushing us along. Of course with only 4 hp, we were occasionally making 2 knots against the current, but at least we were moving. I don’t think the 2.3 Honda four-stroke could have pulled it off.
Ever since Georgetown we have been using the engine for only a few minutes a day. We’ve primarily used it to raise and lower the anchor, and then once to get in and out of the marina at Charleston. As we approached Isle of Hope Marina, where we were thankfully going to be on a face dock, we discussed our strategy.
The dinghy was side-tied on the wrong side of the boat for the face dock, so we were going to start the engine a few minutes away and move the dinghy so we could tow it behind us. We had very light wind and a current against us.
We started the engine and within a minute it started sounding even worse than it had been. Then there was a squeaking sound and it stopped running. We quickly scrambled to move the dinghy from the stern to the port side while I tried to eek out any forward movement with the jib. It was a hectic minute or two, but Jeff leaped into the dinghy, started the outboard, and we limped into the face dock without any trouble.
Big Red had clearly given us all he had. He lasted long enough to get us out of the marina in Charleston without colliding with any boats. He lasted long enough so that Jeff didn’t have to raise the chain and anchor by hand. And once Big Red saw that we were within spitting distance of our final destination, he gave up the ghost. RIP Big Red.
Next up: Son of Big Red gets welcomed into his new home, Pegu Club.
Adventures on the Club 