Trip Diary for
July, 2009
Based at Regatta Point in Deltaville, VA
Jul. 1-31;
Deltaville, VA: Wednesday morning was cool enough to finish scrubbing,
this time the main deck, and to wash windows. Well water here is
unsuited for drinking and leaves an unusually heavy film when rinsing
anything;
reverse-osmosis water is provided for drinking, bathing and laundry.
The chart plotter returned from its factory visit with assurances its
11-month problem calculating distance traveled was resolved by installing the newest
software update. All meals today were aboard with an outstanding dinner:
grilled ribeye, fresh roasting ears and baked potato with a fresh-baked, hot
cookie sundae for dessert! Thursday after lunch, to celebrate Larry's new emeritus status (as
of yesterday), we drove to visit another beautiful historical
church, this time the
Kingston Episocpal Church in Mathews (15 mi. south). 
Its setting is truly exquisite. From
there we headed north 50 mi. to the fishing village of Reedville, famous for
its menhaden (a small schooling fish used for cooking oils and pet food) processing plants.
Our current dock neighbor had given a glowing recommendation for Tommy's
restaurant,
so we shared its outstanding fried seafood platter: flounder,
shrimp, lump crabcake, scallops and soft-shell crab (Lola's treat for
Larry's celebration gift). 
We
topped it with home-made ice cream at nearby Chitterchats.
Friday brought more perfect weather with 8-10 mph N-winds, low humidity
and a high in the low 80s. It was great to turn off air conditioning. We mostly relaxed, watching the marina come
alive with holiday boaters. To spread our economic recovery
contribution among local businesses, we had dinner at Taylor's before
returning for a fresh-baked, hot cookie sundae and computer work.
Having celebrated all day Thursday, Saturday, the 4th, was a day to
work. After breakfast we unloaded the cockpit, removed the carpeting, washed it down and then
cleaned/polished the isinglass windows/screens. It was mid-afternoon
before we had everything restored. After showers, we enjoyed
Cocomos' exceptional flounder sandwiches before returning to watch
numerous private and public fireworks displays from the bridge. Light
rain began Sunday at 8 AM and continued until 6 PM, but provided only
.3 in. of precipitation. The high was 70; thus, a third straight day
without air conditioning. After the 11 AM
Clarksbury UMC service we drove 25 mi. to Kilmarnock for some needed
items with lunch at McDonalds before returning to the boat at 4 PM.
Monday was a day for more outside boat maintenance: scraping
barnacles from the water line and removing its tannin stains. We then
removed all floor items from the salon and pilothouse for
Chem-Dry's
3:30 PM arrival to clean carpeting. To allow carpets to dry, we
departed for the 25 mi. drive to Gloucester. Larry attended Tuesday's 7:30 AM
Middlesex County Rotary
while Lola handled laundry/ironing chores. Highs of 86 with humidity
ended the delightful interval of no air conditioning. We departed at
8:30 Wednesday for Norfolk to pick up granddaughter Samantha,
diverting along the way to Williamsburg for banking service. Sam
arrived on-time at 1 PM. We then drove across town to the
Macarthur
Center for lunch and shopping before returning to the boat.
Thursday's weather was ideal. NE 6-8 mph winds brought low
humidity and good boating conditions. We left the dock at 10:15 for a
10 mi. cruise up the Rappahannock and back. The Standard Horizon
chart plotter still can't compute mileage traveled! After dinner at The
Galley, we returned for a dinghy tour of the extensive local harbor,
Broad Creek.
Friday, to familiarize Sam with the area, we left after lunch for
Reedville. Our first stop was historic
Christ Church in Weems. Next was
Fishermen's Museum
in Reedville before enjoying wonderful dinners at The Crazy Crab,
seated outside in perfect weather.
Saturday began with an 8:30 departure to Williamsburg prior to
her flight home. We didn't have time for full participation in its
many places and event re-enactments, but we walked the entire Duke of
Gloucester street looking at restored buildings. Larry and Sam
also walked the College of William and Mary campus (Lola's knee
problem kept her from joining them). They especially enjoyed touring
the Wren building, the nation's oldest active college building.
Highlights were the chapel
and Larry pretending to "lecture"
to a "class" of one
from the podium in its Grammar School room. We left Williamsburg about
2 PM to be assured of passage through the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel; it
was wise planning since there was more than a 5.5 mi. backup with a 1 hr.
delay. However, we made it in time to still enjoy dinner together
before Sam's 7:15 PM flight from Norfolk International.
Sunday was mostly devoted to church activities beginning with the 11 AM
Clarksbury UMC service.
We then joined 6 members for lunch at the Pilothouse Restaurant near
White Stone. In the evening we enjoyed a 7:30 delightful concert by the
Rappahannock District Youth Choir
at Lower UMC
in Hartfield. We returned 60 seconds after a severe
thunderstorm started. Mistakenly having left cockpit curtains open,
Larry got soaked making a dash to close them. After breakfast
Monday Larry donned trunks to get in the water to check the boat's
trim-tab zincs and to clean barnacles from the dinghy lift. The
sacrificial zincs which protect other metals on the boat from electrolysis
were only half depleted. Lola ironed and worked up a large mail
delivery sent by Sharon Hawks. Cocomo's great fish sandwiches
provided dinner, topped by Lola's hot cookie sundaes aboard.
Tuesday afternoon we drove to Gloucester for Lola's nail-fill and to
transact some banking. Incredibly for mid-July on the
Chesapeake, the weather continued to be near perfect with no need for air
conditioning. Having been here exactly one month, it was time to
register for another. Wednesday, the 15th, was a day for small
maintenance jobs on the boat and for Lola to complete her Exchange Club
secretary's work. The highlight of the day was a wonderful 6-8:30 PM potluck at
the marina with 20+ boaters.
Idyllic weather ended Thursday at 4:30 AM with light rain.
Daytime highs reached the low 90s, so we started AC at noon. Forecasts
are for an extended period, 10 days, of rain with cooling temps. They
were accurate for Friday when an afternoon storm moved through.
The marina organized a wine an cheese party for 5:15 and following that we
joined 6 others for dinner. Paul and Dawn Long, Orion V,
organized the group and provided transportation to
Cafe MoJo's in Urbanna
for their guests Alex and Cathy Wrenn plus one other Greensboro, NC boating
couple, Larry and Madge Williams, C'est La Vie, and us. Service
was a bit slow, but food was outstanding; it was 9 PM when we returned.
Saturday provided better weather than forecast. Orion V
left for Tangier Island, so we invited Larry and Madge to join us for dinner
at CoCoMo's after wine on their boat. We declined Sunday's
invitation for lunch following
Clarksbury UMC service
in order to have the full afternoon for exploring Mathew County, the area
south of Deltaville. This enabled finding two Chesapeake beaches,
Haven and Bethel, the ecological area near the
New Point
Comfort Lighthouse,
and Gwynn Island. The incredibly rich
archeological content of
Gwynn's Island Museum was the day's surprise. Lola done
laundry and ironed Monday while Larry finished reading a book, one of
the few he has found time to do during this adventure. All meals were
aboard. Tuesday was devoted to boatkeeping and small
maintenance projects. Lola had a Wednesday afternoon orthopedic
appointment in Gloucester, so we left at 7:30 AM for extended shopping in
Williamsburg. Following her exam and knee injection, we returned to
the marina's Wednesday carry-in; only 10 people participated this week.
Thursday was spent mostly aboard appreciating the slow improvement of
Lola's knee. Larry's sister Sharon and her husband, George Lowry
arrived from Decatur, IL Friday at 6 PM. They will spend a week
aboard. We grilled pork chops on the marina's facilities and enjoyed a
picnic as they relaxed from two long days on the road. Saturday
we introduced them to the sights in Mathews county, including New Point
Comfort,
before returning to fish sandwich dinners at Cocomo's.
Following Sunday's 11 AM service at
Clarksbury UMC we headed
north into Lancaster County, stopping first at
Christ Church in Weems. While the once plentiful, beautiful
hydrangeas are no longer blooming, but the mostly red crepe myrtle trees
now provide a nice alternative.
Next was
Fishermen's Museum
in Reedville before enjoying wonderful seafood dinners at The Crazy Crab.
Late afternoon and all night squalls provided a much need 2 in. of
rain. A late departure Monday began another southern
excursion, this time to Norfolk for an afternoon aboard the battleship
Wisconsin.
We made it back to Deltaville in time for dinner at The Galley.
Afternoon thundershowers had added another half-inch of rain. We
dropped lines at 10:10 Tuesday for a 26 mi., 3-hr. cruise north to
Reedville
Marina for an overnight stay with another round of excellent dinners at the on-site
Crazy Crab. Winds were less than 10 mph so, with following seas,
the 1-2 ft. seas were still comfortable. 
As we entered Cockrell Creek
for the last mile to the marina the pungent smell of cooking menhaden
gradually became stronger. While it persisted all evening at the
marina, one gradually adjusted to it; air conditioning greatly helped reduce
the smell within the boat. Winds picked up Wednesday night to
10 mph with a forecast to increase into the afternoon. Despite our
8:15 AM departure, the Chesapeake offered 2-3 ft. waves on the nose.
Thus, the return to
Regatta Point wasn't
as pleasant as yesterday's cruise. When we turned west into the
Rappahannock the sharp waves that typify the Chesapeake, when taken on the
beam, made for 20 minutes of rather grim rolling. In addition to the
usual outside salt rise-down after docking, the inside required
considerable restoration work. Sharon and George were responsible for
Wednesday's marina carry-in; they prepared a vegetable-hamburger
casserole and a wonderful grape salad. Seventeen people shared an inside meal in a
light
rain. We spent Thursday aboard, reading, working a puzzle and
relaxing. In the afternoon, all but Lola took an extended dinghy tour of
Froad Creek and around the peninsula to the mouth of the Piankatank River.
Sharon and George headed for their home in Decatur, IL at 9:40 AM
Friday.
Lola began laundry and preparing for new guests. In the afternoon we
drove into Gloucester to resupply. Boating friends Rich and Lee
Johnson, of Crazy Eights, arrived from Hoschton, GA (50 mi. NE of
Atlanta) about 9 PM, having ridden 560 mi. on their Honda tri-wheeled cycle!
The late parts of their ride were often in light rain.
Water miles traveled to date: 3,592; this
month: 61
Questions or comments? Just
e-mail us.
Its setting is truly exquisite. From
there we headed north 50 mi. to the fishing village of Reedville, famous for
its menhaden (a small schooling fish used for cooking oils and pet food) processing plants.
Our current dock neighbor had given a glowing recommendation for Tommy's
restaurant,
so we shared its outstanding fried seafood platter: flounder,
shrimp, lump crabcake, scallops and soft-shell crab (Lola's treat for
Larry's celebration gift). 
We
topped it with home-made ice cream at nearby Chitterchats.
Friday brought more perfect weather with 8-10 mph N-winds, low humidity
and a high in the low 80s. It was great to turn off air conditioning. We mostly relaxed, watching the marina come
alive with holiday boaters. To spread our economic recovery
contribution among local businesses, we had dinner at Taylor's before
returning for a fresh-baked, hot cookie sundae and computer work.
Having celebrated all day Thursday, Saturday, the 4th, was a day to
work. After breakfast we unloaded the cockpit, removed the carpeting, washed it down and then
cleaned/polished the isinglass windows/screens. It was mid-afternoon
before we had everything restored. After showers, we enjoyed
Cocomos' exceptional flounder sandwiches before returning to watch
numerous private and public fireworks displays from the bridge. Light
rain began Sunday at 8 AM and continued until 6 PM, but provided only
.3 in. of precipitation. The high was 70; thus, a third straight day
without air conditioning. After the 11 AM
Clarksbury UMC service we drove 25 mi. to Kilmarnock for some needed
items with lunch at McDonalds before returning to the boat at 4 PM.
Monday was a day for more outside boat maintenance: scraping
barnacles from the water line and removing its tannin stains. We then
removed all floor items from the salon and pilothouse for
Chem-Dry's
3:30 PM arrival to clean carpeting. To allow carpets to dry, we
departed for the 25 mi. drive to Gloucester. Larry attended Tuesday's 7:30 AM
Middlesex County Rotary
while Lola handled laundry/ironing chores. Highs of 86 with humidity
ended the delightful interval of no air conditioning. We departed at
8:30 Wednesday for Norfolk to pick up granddaughter Samantha,
diverting along the way to Williamsburg for banking service. Sam
arrived on-time at 1 PM. We then drove across town to the
Macarthur
Center for lunch and shopping before returning to the boat.
Thursday's weather was ideal. NE 6-8 mph winds brought low
humidity and good boating conditions. We left the dock at 10:15 for a
10 mi. cruise up the Rappahannock and back. The Standard Horizon
chart plotter still can't compute mileage traveled! After dinner at The
Galley, we returned for a dinghy tour of the extensive local harbor,
Broad Creek.
Friday, to familiarize Sam with the area, we left after lunch for
Reedville. Our first stop was historic
Christ Church in Weems. Next was
Fishermen's Museum
in Reedville before enjoying wonderful dinners at The Crazy Crab,
seated outside in perfect weather.
Saturday began with an 8:30 departure to Williamsburg prior to
her flight home. We didn't have time for full participation in its
many places and event re-enactments, but we walked the entire Duke of
Gloucester street looking at restored buildings. Larry and Sam
also walked the College of William and Mary campus (Lola's knee
problem kept her from joining them). They especially enjoyed touring
the Wren building, the nation's oldest active college building.
Highlights were the chapel
and Larry pretending to "lecture"
to a "class" of one
from the podium in its Grammar School room. We left Williamsburg about
2 PM to be assured of passage through the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel; it
was wise planning since there was more than a 5.5 mi. backup with a 1 hr.
delay. However, we made it in time to still enjoy dinner together
before Sam's 7:15 PM flight from Norfolk International.
Sunday was mostly devoted to church activities beginning with the 11 AM
Clarksbury UMC service.
We then joined 6 members for lunch at the Pilothouse Restaurant near
White Stone. In the evening we enjoyed a 7:30 delightful concert by the
Rappahannock District Youth Choir
at Lower UMC
in Hartfield. We returned 60 seconds after a severe
thunderstorm started. Mistakenly having left cockpit curtains open,
Larry got soaked making a dash to close them. After breakfast
Monday Larry donned trunks to get in the water to check the boat's
trim-tab zincs and to clean barnacles from the dinghy lift. The
sacrificial zincs which protect other metals on the boat from electrolysis
were only half depleted. Lola ironed and worked up a large mail
delivery sent by Sharon Hawks. Cocomo's great fish sandwiches
provided dinner, topped by Lola's hot cookie sundaes aboard.
Tuesday afternoon we drove to Gloucester for Lola's nail-fill and to
transact some banking. Incredibly for mid-July on the
Chesapeake, the weather continued to be near perfect with no need for air
conditioning. Having been here exactly one month, it was time to
register for another. Wednesday, the 15th, was a day for small
maintenance jobs on the boat and for Lola to complete her Exchange Club
secretary's work. The highlight of the day was a wonderful 6-8:30 PM potluck at
the marina with 20+ boaters.
Idyllic weather ended Thursday at 4:30 AM with light rain.
Daytime highs reached the low 90s, so we started AC at noon. Forecasts
are for an extended period, 10 days, of rain with cooling temps. They
were accurate for Friday when an afternoon storm moved through.
The marina organized a wine an cheese party for 5:15 and following that we
joined 6 others for dinner. Paul and Dawn Long, Orion V,
organized the group and provided transportation to
Cafe MoJo's in Urbanna
for their guests Alex and Cathy Wrenn plus one other Greensboro, NC boating
couple, Larry and Madge Williams, C'est La Vie, and us. Service
was a bit slow, but food was outstanding; it was 9 PM when we returned.
Saturday provided better weather than forecast. Orion V
left for Tangier Island, so we invited Larry and Madge to join us for dinner
at CoCoMo's after wine on their boat. We declined Sunday's
invitation for lunch following
Clarksbury UMC service
in order to have the full afternoon for exploring Mathew County, the area
south of Deltaville. This enabled finding two Chesapeake beaches,
Haven and Bethel, the ecological area near the
New Point
Comfort Lighthouse,
and Gwynn Island. The incredibly rich
archeological content of
Gwynn's Island Museum was the day's surprise. Lola done
laundry and ironed Monday while Larry finished reading a book, one of
the few he has found time to do during this adventure. All meals were
aboard. Tuesday was devoted to boatkeeping and small
maintenance projects. Lola had a Wednesday afternoon orthopedic
appointment in Gloucester, so we left at 7:30 AM for extended shopping in
Williamsburg. Following her exam and knee injection, we returned to
the marina's Wednesday carry-in; only 10 people participated this week.
Thursday was spent mostly aboard appreciating the slow improvement of
Lola's knee. Larry's sister Sharon and her husband, George Lowry
arrived from Decatur, IL Friday at 6 PM. They will spend a week
aboard. We grilled pork chops on the marina's facilities and enjoyed a
picnic as they relaxed from two long days on the road. Saturday
we introduced them to the sights in Mathews county, including New Point
Comfort,
before returning to fish sandwich dinners at Cocomo's.
Following Sunday's 11 AM service at
Clarksbury UMC we headed
north into Lancaster County, stopping first at
Christ Church in Weems. While the once plentiful, beautiful
hydrangeas are no longer blooming, but the mostly red crepe myrtle trees
now provide a nice alternative.
Next was
Fishermen's Museum
in Reedville before enjoying wonderful seafood dinners at The Crazy Crab.
Late afternoon and all night squalls provided a much need 2 in. of
rain. A late departure Monday began another southern
excursion, this time to Norfolk for an afternoon aboard the battleship
Wisconsin.
We made it back to Deltaville in time for dinner at The Galley.
Afternoon thundershowers had added another half-inch of rain. We
dropped lines at 10:10 Tuesday for a 26 mi., 3-hr. cruise north to
Reedville
Marina for an overnight stay with another round of excellent dinners at the on-site
Crazy Crab. Winds were less than 10 mph so, with following seas,
the 1-2 ft. seas were still comfortable. 
As we entered Cockrell Creek
for the last mile to the marina the pungent smell of cooking menhaden
gradually became stronger. While it persisted all evening at the
marina, one gradually adjusted to it; air conditioning greatly helped reduce
the smell within the boat. Winds picked up Wednesday night to
10 mph with a forecast to increase into the afternoon. Despite our
8:15 AM departure, the Chesapeake offered 2-3 ft. waves on the nose.
Thus, the return to
Regatta Point wasn't
as pleasant as yesterday's cruise. When we turned west into the
Rappahannock the sharp waves that typify the Chesapeake, when taken on the
beam, made for 20 minutes of rather grim rolling. In addition to the
usual outside salt rise-down after docking, the inside required
considerable restoration work. Sharon and George were responsible for
Wednesday's marina carry-in; they prepared a vegetable-hamburger
casserole and a wonderful grape salad. Seventeen people shared an inside meal in a
light
rain. We spent Thursday aboard, reading, working a puzzle and
relaxing. In the afternoon, all but Lola took an extended dinghy tour of
Froad Creek and around the peninsula to the mouth of the Piankatank River.
Sharon and George headed for their home in Decatur, IL at 9:40 AM
Friday.
Lola began laundry and preparing for new guests. In the afternoon we
drove into Gloucester to resupply. Boating friends Rich and Lee
Johnson, of Crazy Eights, arrived from Hoschton, GA (50 mi. NE of
Atlanta) about 9 PM, having ridden 560 mi. on their Honda tri-wheeled cycle!
The late parts of their ride were often in light rain.