We survived the Potomac - May 20, 2007

Hello All -

Yesterday, we left Deltaville, VA - finally - and traveled up the Chesapeake to Solomans, MD. The weather was questionable when we left but we all (5 boats) had a bit of the "let's get going syndrome". We had been in Deltaville for too many days waiting for the perfect day. The water was not too bad until we crossed the 18 mile entrance to the Potomac River. We were in a washing machine - to say the least. We had waves crashing over the top of the boat. We were in no danger but were not having any fun.

We had no damage on the boat to speak of - one of the tachometers is not working correctly and one of the straps broke that holds the dingy. Several of the other boats did not fair so well - but nothing that can't be fixed. It did take a while to clean up the mess inside the boat. Again, nothing broken except a light bulb. Interesting - the lamp, which I had put on the floor, was still standing but the bulb was broken. Actually, a bottle of water fell on it - the bottle was cut by the glass so we had water and broken glass everywhere. And we got the drain in sink in one of the heads all cleaned out. Stuff, and that is a nice word for it, was everywhere, from the floor to the ceiling. Imagine the force it took to do that!

Today, we are back in a holding pattern. Tomorrow doesn't look too bad, so if that holds, we'll head north to the Patapsco River that leads to Baltimore. We'll leave the boat there and fly home for about 10 days. Looking forward to seeing our family and friends.

See you out there somewhere . . .
Bob & Ann

May 17, 2007 We're still in Deltaville!

Hello All - We're still here in Deltaville waiting for calmer weather. Tomorrow looks like it might be the day. We've had a great time here - lots of other loopers. We had a birthday party yesterday for Robert. We're have to have a couple of good days to get to Baltimore to fly home for a few days. I'm going to include a picture that my brother sent to me - this was taken down around Titusville.

See you out there somewhere

Ann & Bob

May 16, 2007 Rob's B'Day

May 13, 2007

Hello All - Happy Mother's Day!

We are at the Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake, Virginia - just south of Norfolk. Tomorrow we'll head for Hamption Roads and North. We plan to spend a week or so on the Chesapeake Bay and then fly home from Baltimore for the last week in May.

Yesterday we rented a car and drove across the Norfolk Harbor to Hampton Roads and down to the Dismal Swamp and Elizabeth City. I'm posting some pictures - note the surprise at the end of a hiking trail in the visitor's center - a mailbox with a diary in it. I'll try posting a picture of one of the pages - what fun. The canal in the swamp was started by George Washington who owned some of the property in the 1700's and needed a way to ship timber. During the 1800's it was a place where escaped slaves lived. I can't imagine how anyone could have lived there. And it definately isn't dismal! Check it out on Google - it's really a facinating place.

See you out there somewhere. . .

Ann & Bob

We survived the WIND!! 5/10/07

Hello All

Guess all of you have heard of or experienced the storm off the coast of North Carolina - it is now the first named storm of the season. We were holed up in Oriental, NC for several days - had sustained winds of about 30 - 35 MPH with gusts to about 50. Oriental has no tide under normal circumstances so the docks are fixed. As you can see from the pictures, the storm surge of several feet came to within inches of covering the docks. We had to constantly watch and change the fenders and also change our lines so that we had control from the boat instead of from the docks - in case we could not get off the boat. We never lost power but did lose internet coverage from time to time. Cell phone coverage was very almost non-existent.

We had fun anyway - there were several other loopers there along with other really nice folks. We ate together several times and generally made the best of it. If you have to be stuck, Oriental is a great place to do it. It is a very small town with about 900 residents and 1000 boats. The marina owner took all of us to the grocery and to a fresh food stand where the farmer actually picked the vegetables out of his garden for you - including strawberries. Probably the most interesting thing that happened was that the boat at the end of the dock by the street was waked by a garbage truck! What a hoot!

We are now in Coinjock about 50 miles south of Norfolk and expect to go on to Norfolk tomorrow. We had terrible fog leaving Alligator River Marina this morning - but an easy crossing of the Albemarle Sound - thank goodness. And yes, Ann, we are still south of the Mason Dixon Line.

Our love to all . . .

See you out there somewhere.

Ann & Rob

See you out there somewhere

Outer Banks 5/3/07

Hello All

We took a vacation from the boat for a couple of days, rented a car and took the ferry to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Love It!!! This is one of the most beautiful and interesting places in the country. We arrived by ferry on Ocracoke Island, drove through Cape Hatteras, Nags Head and visited Kitty Hawk. The Wright Brothers memorial is very interesting. Until yesterday, I really did not believe that airplanes actually flew. How could anything SO big actually stay off the ground. (I still question how large boats can float???) I wish I would have had a really good teacher in science and math!!! All kids should come here and really pay attention! Amazing to be in a place that REALLY changed the history of the world.

One of the pics I included is a very large sand dune named Kill Devil Hill (interesting name - never did hear where that come from.) This is where the Wrights brothers experimented with gliders and learned the basics of flight and piloting.

We took this opportunity, since we had wheels, to do some provisioning, get haircuts, etc. We're heading back to Morehead City today and will start north again tomorrow - assuming weather is good. We're at a lovely Hilton in Kitty Hawk with high speed internet - what a treat.

See you out there somewhere.

Rob & Ann

A few interesting pics - posted 5/1/07

Bald Head Island Posted 5/1/07

Hello All

I am a little slow with my posting. We are currently at Morehead City, NC - renting a car today and exploring a little of the Outer Banks. Will stay at Kitty Hawk tonight - I have always wanted to go there. Having a car will give us the opportunity to find stock up on some supplies that we have been needing.

We absolutely LOVED Bald Head Island and would recommend it to anyone who can take an extra day. The island has no cars except a few service vehicles - everyone uses golf carts which can easily be rented. The beaches are absolutely beautiful and virtually deserted. There is a beautiful golf course, a couple of really fine places to eat and a good grocery store. There is no access to the island except by ferry or by boat.

We have working on tentative plans for the next couple of months and are going home for the last week in May - will fly out of Baltimore. We plan to fly out of Albany for a family reunion in Park City, Utah and a quick visit with family in Idaho toward the end of June. Hopefully, weather will cooperate and we'll get where we need to be when we need to be there.

See you out there somewhere . . .

Ann & Rob