Nothing But The Facts

A brief summary of the journey:

116 nights spent on the boat;

4282 water miles traveled;

Also check out the new item on the Blog Page, top right, The JULI-IV Journey Map.  It shows all stops and dates thus far of the trip.

See you all later in August.

20 June 2013 – Thursday

Our task for today is to cruise to the Chesapeake Bay.  This is about 15 miles away and we would pass the Norfolk Navy Base.  Many of our proud Navy ships are home ported here. 

A Billets Ship that the crew lives on while their ship is in repair status

The USS New York, Its bow was cast from salvage steel from the World Trade Center

USS Abraham Lincoln in drydock

USS George H W Bush

Once we got to within about 3 miles of the bay itself the water got too rough to continue so we headed back to the marina.  There we washed the boat and made her ready to be abandoned for a month or so.  During our visit downtown, we had noticed a movie theatre that looked interesting.  Beth checked it out and it turned out to be a “Dinner Theatre” which was showing this evening “Man of Steel”.  Now our daughter Jessica had reported that this was a great movie.  Beth and I got on the bikes and headed downtown to purchase our theatre tickets.  It was a fun ride.  Once we had the tickets we rode around for a couple of miles checking out the sights.  There are several museums that we will tour when we return to this area.  We returned to the boat and got Joe ready for his “Dinner Theatre” experience.  We walked to the theatre and dined on fine chicken strips and such.  The interior of the theatre was very well done with a couple of great historical murals on the side walls. 

 
The movie began and for those of you who have seen it, you recall that it is non-stop explosions and other loud noises.  On the walk back to the boat I tried to leap into the air and fly several times.  It did not work well.  Tomorrow, 21 June, we will be picked up by a cab and delivered to the Norfolk airport for our flight home to Kansas.  See you all later.

19 June 2013 – Wednesday

We got up early this morning suspecting that we might be fogged in but it was only cloudy.  The large yacht in front of us was untying its lines ahead of us and the un-official crew member was running up and the dock like a monkey heaving lines on board.  The yacht was being forced away from the dock by the wind and current.  The Captain finally crashed the bow of the yacht into a dock piling (he would not be working for me today) and the monkey man jumped aboard.  That was the last we ever saw of them. Now we are headed to the Norfolk/Portsmouth, VA area today.  We are finally back in civilization and have to deal with bridges that require them to open as we are too tall for them.  Several are on a schedule and will not open on demand.  This requires timing and pacing to arrive at the next one to minimize idling and circling time.  There is also one lock to go through with a low bridge just beyond it. The bridge is timed to open simultaneously with the lock.  By the time we got to the lock, our group consisted of 6 large sailboats and three power boats.  The sail boaters apparently had not much experience with locks as it took them forever to get into place.  The lockmaster was repeatedly urging them to hurry up (reaming them).  Once through, we sped up to get to the next bridge opening.  We were early for the official opening, but it appeared that we could easily get under the bridge with it closed.  But we waited.  Once through, it was determined that the cruising guides were not current and the old low bridge had been replaced with a new tall bridge.  On we headed to Norfolk.  The area we were travelling through was filled with shipyards doing much work on U.S. Navy ships. 

 We arrived at Ocean Marine Marina and checked in.  The people here are super.  We secured the boat in the slip in which she will sit for the next month or so and relaxed.  We all walked to the Portsmouth downtown area, about a mile away.  We had dinner at Roger Browns Restaurant, he is a former NFL player from this area.  He played pro ball during the early 60’s.  Food was great.  We than stopped next door at the dollar store to get some essentials, (cookies).  There we were cashed out by “Wes” who told us he is really a recording artist, just not today.  We walked back to the boat and turned in.

18 June 2013 – Tuesday

Got up early for another long day.  We also have to decide whether to take the Virginia Cut course or go through the Dismal Swamp route. The large yacht was pulling out just ahead of us.  We decided that we would experience the Dismal Swamp route another time. So, we are headed to Coinjock Marina.  It is the only place between Dowry Creek and Virginia on this route.  I called ahead to the marina and was told that they were full for the evening, but they would put us on a waiting list in case someone cancelled.  We had to cross the Albemarle Sound but before we got to the sound we determined that we should top off our fuel supply.  There was a fuel stop located on the Alligator River just short of entering the Sound.  It turns out it was a small marina next to the main highway with fuel pumps near the water.  Gas was only $3.67 per gallon.  We were initially delighted, then read the fine print that the gas had ethanol added.  The first ethanol in JULI-IVs tanks ever.  We shall see what happens.  Hopefully, we will be rid of it pretty quickly.  Pulled out of the marina and were surrounded by a plague of crab pots.  The wind was blowing 25 mph and waves were 3-4 feet.  The autopilot could not keep up and we drifted over a crab pot marker and I put the engines in neutral and asked Joe if the marker had appeared astern.  He said NO!  Now we were drifting abeam to these 3-4 foot waves and unable to use power since we now had a crab pot line wrapped around our props/rudders. Beth quickly provided the answer to drop the anchor to keep our nose into the wind/waves which we did (good thinking).  Joe then slid into the water and determined that indeed we had a line wrapped around the prop shaft.  He took his knife and went under to cut it free.  Now this is under the boat with it crashing up and down 3-4 feet every 10 seconds.  He not only succeeded, but survived with no injuries, other than a knife wound to his chest.  Anchor up and we were under way again.  The weather got much worse in the sound with rain so heavy we could not see 50 feet in front of us, thank goodness for radar. During the crossing, the Coinjock Marina called me and said they could fit us in.  When we arrived at the marina we were amazed at the quantity and size of boats tied up.  We were clearly the smallest.  

This dock was about 1500 feet long with many 100 foot plus mega yachts tied up.  They maximized every inch of space moving us between two mega yachts with inches to spare fore and aft.  This marina also advertised the finest prime rib available anywhere.  I can attest to the fact that is very good.  The Yacht that had been tied up at Dowry Creek with us the night before was magically right in front of us and we visited with the crew of three.  They were delivering it for the owner to Rhode Island, because that’s where he wanted to have cocktails on it next.  They had spent the spring in the Bahamas. (rough life, almost as rough as ours).  One of the crew was not an official member of the crew, just a friend of the Captains from a previous life.

17 June 2013 – Monday

We left Spooners Creek Marina headed to Dowry Creek Marina, near Belhaven, NC.  This was another long day.  We arrived without incident at the marina and were directed into a slip which was very challenging to get into. 

 This was an outstanding marina.  Swimming pool, (which Beth and I used) boaters lounge, (which Joe and I used) and a semi-organized social event each evening. 

The owner of the marina had moved there 20 years ago with her husband when they bought the place.  He has since passed on and she runs the place with the assistance of another couple who were traveling in their Trawler 17 years ago, stopped for the night and have never left. This is their Trawler:  

 At the social hour, they kept us entertained with tales of previous hurricanes and what all they had done to keep the place in operation.  It was very well maintained.  There was a large Yacht tied up at the dock when we arrived and I met one of its crew as they were leaving for dinner in the nearby town of Belhaven.  (More on this later).

16 June 2013 – Sunday

We departed Bridge Tender Marina headed to Spooners Creek Marina at Morehead City, North Carolina. During this trek we passed through one of the weapons firing ranges at Camp Lejune, NC. (Marine Corps Training Center).  Luckily, because it was a weekend, there was no weapons firing going on.  Here are a couple of pictures of the targets they fire at on the waterway. 

The wind really started blowing hard.  We were in need of fuel and a pump out and thought we found just what we wanted at Casper’s Marina in Swansboro, NC.  They advertised fuel and a pump out.  I drove right by the fuel dock without seeing it, turned around and called them on the radio, and they began ridiculing me for not seeing where it was.  I missed it again.  Finally located it and had to head into the wind and let the wind blow the boat back into a very confined space while motoring forward and sideways.  Dumbest place for a fuel dock ever.  Fueled up and lo and behold, their pump out was non- existent, thus we continued on.  It was late when we arrived at Spooners Creek Marina, which turned out to be a large group of new Condominiums with large boat slips.  We approached the fuel/pump out dock and were greeted by the Dock Hand who had stayed past closing to take care of us.  We successfully pumped out and moved into our slip for the night.  We asked where the office was so we could do the paperwork and pay our fee and he replied that if we were gone by 0700 in the morning there would be no charge.  A GREAT place. There was a shopping center with a McDonalds, Walmart and other stuff about a mile away.  We decided to go to Luigi’s Pizza as they had been recommended on Active Captain.  We broke out one of the bikes for Joe and Beth and I walked.  Since we were extra hungry we ordered a large pizza (without paying attention to the size). 

Luigi's Large Pizza

 It took two of us to carry it to the table.  It was as advertised (excellent).

15 June 2013 – Saturday

Departed the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area headed for Bridge Tender Marina, Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.  We went on the outside (open ocean) route since the seas were calm.  It was about 30 miles outside to the Cape Fear River Inlet.  We decided to go back on the inside route at Cape Fear for the rest of the day since the seas were kicking up. Since it is Saturday, the waterways are filled with weekenders racing fast to get to wherever they are going.  It seems that they prefer sand bar/beaches near the ocean inlets as that is where the water tends to clearer.  Arrived at the marina and tied up behind “Heaven Scent” who we had been tied up with at Georgetown, and Myrtle Beach. 

JULI-IV behind Heaven Scent at Bride Tender Marina Wrightsville Beach, NC

 The dockhand recommended not eating in the local restaurant and told us to go down the street to another place.  We walked a couple of blocks to the other place and it was hopping.  Unfortunately, it was hopping because it was closed for a private wedding party, so back to the not recommended place we went.  It was entirely adequate.  We were tied up along a face dock right on the canal, but most of the boating crowd were well mannered and did not create any large wake action. (Shocking, of course we were right next to a drawbridge which really enforces no wake zones)