Sailing South aboard Lucy III: 2020-21 (Part III - returning North)

 Dozier's Marina, Deltaville, Virginia:  May 21, 2021

https://www.google.com/maps/place/37%C2%B033'35.2%22N+76%C2%B018'45.7%22W/@37.5597672,-76.3148927

Dozier's Office

Two of the marina inhabitants.

Marc-  Today we did 36 miles in 8 hours instead of the usual 6.  The tidal current, the wind and the waves were against us today and we were a bit miserable as a result.  Conditions did improve during the day and the last two hours were spent in light wind and calm seas.  Deltaville was welcoming with a loaner car to go to the supermarket at the other end of town.  We did a barbecue cookout on the marina's new weber gas grill and enjoyed there very clean picnic tables nearby for dinner.  Fitzgerald enjoyed taking us on walks all over the docks and a few pathways.

Fitzgerald and Michael

(photographer:  Brendan Gilmartin)

Sailing South aboard Lucy III: 2020-21 (Part III - returning North)

 Salt Ponds Marina, Hampton, Virginia:  May 20, 2021

https://www.google.com/maps/place/37%C2%B003'15.4%22N+76%C2%B017'14.7%22W/@37.054285,-76.2896027

Fitzgerald and Stephanie

Marc-  We are back in Hampton with a crew change for both Lucy III and Fiddler's Green.  Stephanie has joined the sailing crew while Brendan and Fitzgerald have joined the tug boat crew.  Today was a splendid day with excellent weather.  Michael, Steph and I returned the rental car and visited the Virginia Air and Space Museum.  The museum has a heavy NASA presence in that Langley Air Force Base is located here and has loaned much of the material displayed.  

Brendan arrived via Amtrak from Washington this evening ready to set off early tomorrow for Deltaville, Virginia.

One of the Air Force exhibits.

Another great sunset at Salt Ponds Marina.

Steph-  Brewery had good pilsner, loved the air and space museum, beach & boardwalk at marina.

Sailing South aboard Lucy III: 2020-21 (Part III - returning North)

Salt Ponds Marina, Hampton, Virginia:  May 12, 2021

https://www.google.com/maps/place/37%C2%B003'15.4%22N+76%C2%B017'14.7%22W/@37.054285,-76.2896027

Marc-  We are taking a one week break to return home via rental car.  The marina here is very reasonable with a charge of only $210 for the week including 30 amp. electric.  Sue cooked up a terrific breakfast using most of what was left in the fridge.  The weather forecast seems to be nasty this week with mostly Northerly winds and rather cool temperatures so we are not missing much.  I left the two air conditioning units on as well as one heater.  This combination worked really well when we left Lucy III in St. Augustine for two months.  Our return date is May 19^th so there won’t be a blog until then.  Perhaps the gasoline shortage will be over by then - the one that has hit Virginia through Florida when a pipeline was shut down by a Russian internet hack.  Apparently the oil refineries are in New Jersey and they pump gasoline down the East Coast to Florida. 

I can also use the time to research a fix to several boat issues: (1) The autopilot has not worked; (2) The bimini needs to be reset on different footings; (3) The mizzen rig needs to be tightened; and (4) The starting ignition issue persists now not only acting up when the engine is hot but slow to start with a cold engine. 

Home again in Massachusetts and we arrived just when all the flowers are in bloom.  Timing is everything.

Our home in Watertown

Sue found a friend in Pompton Plains, NJ on the way home.

Sailing South aboard Lucy III: 2020-21 (Part III - returning North)

 Salt Ponds Marina, Hampton, Virginia:  May 11, 2021

https://www.google.com/maps/place/37%C2%B003'15.3%22N+76%C2%B017'14.5%22W/@37.05426,-76.2895597

Morning in Portsmouth.

Marc-  We had a late morning departure planned due to our short travel day over to Hampton (first port up on the Chesapeake).  I did some more work on the deck repair on the mizzen forestay tang.  Sue and I went for a walk around Hospital Point and the Portsmouth Historic District near the marina.  The United States Navy Hospital is right on the bay adjacent to the marina. The immediate neighborhood and parks are very nice with nice homes and beautiful flowers in bloom.  The Historic District had larger and older homes mixed with more modern townhouses.  

Look at the detail in this home.  Note the Corinthian columns.

The magnolia trees are in bloom.

Not sure on this one.

Iris

Hydrangea

Jasmine growing around a lamppost.

We saw many U.S. Navy ships in repair yards along with several aircraft carriers and cruisers.  There is one Hospital ship berthed here in Norfolk and many supply ships.  On the commercial side were container ships and coal carriers.  We passed two containers ships on our through Hampton Roads.

The container ship in the distance does not look very large or to be traveling very fast however it was 900 feet long and was going 12 knots.

Our welcoming committee at the Salt Ponds Inlet.

The back yard of a home next to the marina.

Sunset at Salt Ponds Marina.

I have been asked to include some of my emergency repair photos to the mizzen rig. Below are two shots of below deck work.

View from the bottom up (two pressure treated 4x4 beams bolted together and bolted to a crossmember.

The longleaf pine tree that we tangled with yesterday left us a few pinecones (they are very sharp).

 

Sailing South aboard Lucy III: 2020-21 (Part III - returning North)

 Tidewater Marina, Portsmouth, Virginia:  May 10, 2021

https://www.google.com/maps/place/36%C2%B050'30.7%22N+76%C2%B017'56.8%22W/@36.841868,-76.3013117

Another State by Waterway.

Marc-  We left the docks at 06:00 this morning in order to make the 08:30 South Mills Lock opening.  We were the last of 9 boats to arrive and the last to fit into the lock.  The Lockmaster informed us that the record was fitting 17 boats in this lock.  We went up 10 feet at this end of the Dismal Swamp and came back down 10 feet at the Deep Creek Lock.  The passage was fine except for getting caught up in some pine tree branches we were blown (a cold front came through) in to while waiting for the Deep Creek Bridge and Lock to open.  Unfortunately my attempt to untangle the rigging caused damage to the mizzen starboard forestay.  It was partially ripped up through the deck.  The mast stayed up thankfully but it took a side tow from Michael and Doreen to pull us out.  Seeing our misery, fellow  boaters Mike and Shannon Crothers invited us to raft up with them at the bridge waiting dock.  It helped a lot.

Once we arrived at Tidewater Marina in Portsmouth I dismantled the damaged mizzen starboard forestay base tang and its under deck supporting structure.  The marina donated some lumber and I had enough epoxy to do the repair (90 % completed tonight).  The good side of this incident is that it revealed water damage and rot to the under deck supporting structure for the mizzen.  Better to discover this now than when under sail.  We have tended to use the mizzen and genoa on this trip.

Entering the South Mills Lock

Canal traffic

All alone in the Dismal Swamp

Are we there yet?

Deep Creek Lock tender's office.

The Gilmerton Highway and railway bridge complex (The bridge is up 90 feet).

One of the Jamestown ships at a repair yard in Portsmouth.

Deck damage after the rigging hardware was pulled away.

Sailing South aboard Lucy III: 2020-21 (Part III - returning North)

Mid-Atlantic Christian University (free docks), Elizabeth City, North Carolina:  May 9, 2021

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mid+Atlantic+Christian+University/@36.303290,-76.21681

Our charted travels. 

Marc-  Early start this morning with me pulling up the anchor while  Sue was still in her bunk (it is Mother's day after all).  The  engine seems to have a delayed ignition again but does start.  Must be a bad contact somewhere.  We were on our way at 06:30 in the Alligator River - Pungo River Canal which is basically a ditch or land cut through forest and agricultural land.  No current to speak of and we saw a handful of other boats and one hawk.  Once in the Alligator River we set sail with a favorable Southeast wind and headed downstream for the swing bridge at the mouth of the river.  The bridge opened on demand and we decided to cross Albemarle Sound since we were early and the forecast was for 10-15 knot winds until 18:00 and then increasing to 25-20 knots.  Once out in the Sound the winds increased to 15-20 and we had a sleighride over to Elizabeth City under Genoa and Mizzen sails.  The bridge in Elizabeth City opened on demand and we were quickly docked in the increasing wind with the much needed help of Michael and Doreen.  Chef Michael cooked up dinner.

Sailing South aboard Lucy III: 2020-21 (Part III - returning North)

 Pungo River upper anchorage, Belhaven, North Carolina:  May 8, 2021

https://www.google.com/maps/place/35%C2%B033'43.9%22N+76%C2%B028'26.1%22W/@35.562194,-76.4760907

Our anchoring site along with several other boats waiting to transit the Alligator River - Pungo Creek Canal tomorrow.

Marc-  Today started out just fine leaving River Dunes with a favorable wind and blue sky.  The wind increased to 15-20 with gusts to 30 in Pamlico Sound before we entered the Bay River and the land cut to the Pungo River.  We made two stops on route today. First at the R.E. Mayo Seafood docks for fuel and you guessed it - seafood.  Sue found shrimp and crab cakes.  It did get exciting going up the lower part of the Pungo River with  our genoa reefed and doing 6 knots with 30 knot gusts putting us over on the rail momentarily from time to time.  This was also a rather wet ride with salt water spray coming over most of the boat as we headed upstream.  The waves were manageable due to the short reach in this river.  Our second stop was the Dowry Creek Marina where we had stayed in the Fall.  We then went over to join Fiddler's Green in the Upper Pungo River anchorage.  Sue cooked up the shrimp for dinner and we enjoined a beautiful sunset.