Where Foxy Flamingo Got Her Name

Yesterday we went to Nag's Head and the Foxy Flamingo Boutique.  The owner Betsy gave us permission to use her logo about four years ago.  We wanted to thank her so we brought her a couple of gifts.  

This is the owner Betsy

   

  

We had two of these eggs made.  One for us and one for the Foxy Flamingo Boutique.  

This is a goose egg made by Cynthia Davis in Cape Breton, NS.

This was a gift we had made as a thank you for allowing us to use the logo.  The picture Betsy is holding is a picture of our boat showing the logos on our boat and the words "Thank You" on the top of the frame in scrabble tiles.

It was great seeing Betsy and her staff again and her wonderful boutique.  She has expanded over the years.  We will try to get there in the spring to bring her and her staff for a cruise.

Santa is in North Carolina

Santa was here to help us dock in New Bern.  He asked us to keep it quite.  He did allow me to take his picture in his work clothes and in his Sunday clothes.

What do you think Nate?

 Santa in his Sunday best   

 

Santa in his everyday work clothes

 

Our Journey as Seen on Nebo

This is the information from our journey from start to finish.  We didn't realize we had travelled 1400 nautical miles.  

It was quite a journey.

New Bern

So glad to be here.  We have been walking around town and doing laundry today.  Oh joy.

This is us in the Marina

This is the short walk to get off of the dock

A view coming in to New Bern

Looking out at the water

Looking out at the water

There is a beautiful, very large, Christmas tree when we look out of our Port windows.  I'll get a picture tonight.  There are carriage rides around the downtown area from now until Christmas.  We will take a carriage ride some evening.  Everything is very handy and the people are very friendly.  There are a ton of restaurants with any kind of food you can imagine.  Last night we found out what "hush puppies" were.  It's like a corn bread with a bit of sweetness in the coating.  There are about the size of a an unshelled peanut.  Very good....yum.

Day Sixty One

Just a short post tonight.  We made it to New Bern.  We are docked, hooked up to power and very conveniently located.  We took a short walk around town and were greeted by everyone we met.  People are certainly friendly here.

I will post some pictures tomorrow.

Happy to be here.

Day Fifty Eight, Fifty Nine and Sixty

We are almost at our destination.  Monday night we anchored in Deep Creek.  The Creek was NOT deep.  We went into Lamb's Marina for the night.  We thought we would check it out and maybe spend the winter there.  It was quite run down and didn't offer pump out.  We decided to move on and go with our original plan.

We are finding out that the water on the ICW is not very deep.  The average would likely be around 12 feet. The anchorages are never quite what they seem and the reviews are usually years old.

Tuesday we headed towards Belhaven, NC.  We knew we would not make it in one day but wanted to be closer.  The town has free docks there.  No power and you can't use your generator but since it was suppose to be quite windy we thought it would be saver.  We ended us anchoring in Babbitt Bay.  The temperature dropped at night and it was a bit chilly.

After leaving the Belhaven area we headed to Oriental, NC where there is a free dock as well.  Before we arrived in Oriental, NC we went through another Canal.  Again, very narrow, and not very deep.  What was interesting is the the Coast Guard had a station on the Canal.

Coast Guard Station

Coast Guard Station

Some houses along the way

Looked interesting

A very old Marina with lots of fishing boats

Anyone can dock here

Not sure I would want to go to the Sea Food Restaurant

We are anchored out just around Oriental, NC.  Tomorrow will be a short day with only a three hour cruise.  (Oh that sounds like Gilligan's Island)  We should be in New Bern by lunch time.  I am really looking forward to staying put.

Day Fifty Seven

We arrived at Lamb's Marina around 2:00 pm.  It has all of the services with the exception of pump-out.  We'll see before we decide on whether or not to stay here.

Travelling the Dismal Swamp Canal was very different.  It is narrow, and definitely a swamp.  But it was good sailing.

Our boat and Dave & Holly's boat

That is a very tall mast on the catamaran behind us.  Dave climbed to the top on Saturday and Sunday.  I watched for a little bit on Saturday but I couldn't watch on Sunday.  To scary for me.  Holly was such a help...I don't know how she did it. 

Dave up at the top of the mast

Brian was very grateful that he didn't have to climb that high.  I can't blame him.  I would never be able to watch him.

Dismal Swamp

Dismal Swamp

Visitors Center

We went through a lock today.  The Lock Masters are so friendly and helpful.  Our fellow boaters went through ahead of us today and told Don to expect us.  

More pictures tomorrow.

 

Day Fifty Five and Fifty Six

We stopped at the free dock at the Dismal Swamp Visitors Center.  We stayed for two nights.  The weather was nice for the two days with temperatures around 18 Celcius.  We enjoyed the nice weather and company of our fellow boaters.

I have some pictures I want to post of the Dismal Swamp but my camera quit working.  Fortunately Brian took some pictures with the GoPro.  He will download those tonight and I'll post them on my next post.

We will only be going as far as Camden. NC and spending the night at Lamb's Marina.  If the Marina is as nice and convenient as it seems we may stay here instead of going to New Bern.  The weather is abount the same as New Bern.  They do get snow but only about 6 inches for the whole winter.  I think I can live with that.

I will blog tonight with some pictures.

Day Fifty Four

We left Back River around 9:00 am heading for Norfolk, VA.  I feel we have been very fortunate the last few days because our weather and the water has been great.  We made it to the Naval Base just before lunch.  What an amazing site to see.  

This is Fort Munroe National Monument

Had to see the monument but it is there

Just before getting into Norfolk we saw the air craft carriers.  It is breath taking when you see how large they really are.

All through the city of Norfolk is lined with ship building and repairs.  If you had a crane business here you would make a fortune.  We saw at least 30-40 cranes working on boats.  

This is the Gary Chouest Tug/Supply Vessel

It was very large

I did take a few pictures of the city of Norfolk.  It seems like quite a large city.

Very clean looking city

This is a sample of what you see as you are going through the city.  

We had to wait for Train Bridge # 7 to open as we were leaving the city.  Once across we entered the waterway into the Dismal Swamp.  The Dismal Swamp is best known for its "No See-ums".  Lucky for us at this time of year there weren't any.  

Entrance to the Dismal Swamp

Cora was all excited because she could see land.  She is really good on the boat but she sure wants to get on dry land and run.

I wonder what she is thinking

We did our first lock today.  It was pretty simple.  There was only one other boat in the lock.  A couple from Rhode Island.  We docked on the free dock just past the lock and they rafted up beside us.  

I may add some more pictures tomorrow because Brian took some great pictures as well.

Day Fifty Three

We left Godfrey Bay about 8:30am this morning.  Our plan was to make it to Norfolk, VA, but, plans change.  We lost about an hour en route to an EPIRB alert on our AIS.  Although it said "test" we called the Coast Guard and notified them.  We provided all the information they needed.  They sent out an alert on VHF Radio.  It was about an hour before we heard the all clear.

The water was nice and calm today and that is always a pleasure.  We saw about 12-15 ships patiently waiting to dock.  Not sure where they were heading.  Again today the sun was shining and that always makes travelling more pleasurable.

I didn't take any pictures today because there was nothing to see although  we did see some dolphins.  It is quite amazing that they swim along side by side, come out of the water with perfect timing and don't seem to be in any rush.  They crossed directly in from of the boat.  So beautiful.

We will make Norfolk, VA tomorrow and there will be lots of pictures to be taken.  We travel right through the city and the Navel Base.

Day Forty Nine, Fifty, Fifty One and Fifty Two

Oh, it's nice to be back writing on the blog and being on the water.  We spent four days at Ingram Bay Marina.  It was great.  I had the chance to rest my leg and get off of the boat for walks.  That felt really good.

I spoke with my Doctor today just to make sure I was doing things right considering my injuries.  She said to continue as I'm doing and things should work out fine.

We travelled today from Ingram Bay Marina to just outside of Deltaville.  It was a beautiful day on the water, nice and calm and the sun was shining.  We will be heading to Norfolk VA tomorrow.  We are getting very close to our destination.  We will both be glad to get there and have a chance to relax.

I still am not able to upload the video of us on the water.  I will keep trying.

Day Forty Eight

Hmmmm, our anchorage was a great spot....the only exception was the local boaters who travel at the speed of light and do not slow down for anything.  We rocked and rolled most of the night and certainly didn't sleep in.  We were up early and left after eight.  Our travelling boaters from NH anchored out in the same spot.  Nice seeing them again.

We found a nice little Marina that was affordable and offered the things we were looking for.  We headed for Heathsville, VA.  When we started out the waters on the Bay were really rough.  We regretted leaving.  After about an hour or so things calm down and the rest of the day was not bad.

Smith Point Lighthouse

These little lighthouse are so amazing.  Most of them are not being used any more.  I'm sure they saved a few sailors in their day.

We are at the Marina and will stay here for a few night at least.  This will give me a chance to rest and not get bounced around for a few nights.

Day Forty Seven

We found an anchorage in Kent Point.   It seemed like a good place with lots of room.  It turned out okay but again the wind picked up in the evening and night.  Fortunately our boat was the only boat at anchor.

We met some fellow boaters in Cape May from New Hampshire heading for Florida.  As we headed for our anchorage they headed for Annapolis.  We met up again on the water.  They took this video of us and we reciprocated by taking a video of them.  It seemed really strange watching this video knowing it was us.

I tried putting in the video but it wouldn't load.  I will check it and see if I can save it in a different format.  I'll put it in another post.

The plan was to head towards Deltaville for a night in the Marina, pump out, laundry and fuel.  We knew we would not be making that trip in one day as we didn't want two long days in a row. 

Again there was very little scenery along the way.  This part of the US does not have the beautiful fall colours that we have.  There is still quite a few trees with their leaves in beautiful yellows and oranges.

We will anchor in Patuxent River, Lusby, MD.  Again this is a wide open area and we are hoping for a good night.

Day Forty Six

We wanted a calm night but didn't get it.  Around 4:30am the anchors were no longer holding us in place.  The winds were again unbelievable as was our little reversing falls.  We couldn't get either anchor up because the second anchor was wrapped around our main anchor.  Brian eventually had to cut it and we lost the second anchor.  After a great struggle Brian was able to get the anchor up and we left the anchorage.  It was still dark and raining.  We ended up on a Marina dock just across the harbour.  We stayed there until about 8:30 and then headed out.

The weather was really quite good all day.  The water was a little rough in spots but overall it was a good boating day.  Unlike the other places along the water that were filled with big beautiful homes this stretch of the journey was just coastline.  Having said that, there was nothing to take a picture of..  Just before we turned into our anchorage spot for the night we came across this old abandoned lighthouse.  It was kind of sad to see it so run down.

It's kind of blurry but I had to take the picture with one hand.

Day Forty Five

We anchored in Chesapeake City anchorage.  This was a very interesting anchorage.  Aside from the fact that it was a small anchorage that could not accommodate many boats it was a very different kind of anchorage.  There was a small creek that ran in and out of the anchorage.  Something similar to the Reversing Falls.  As the evening progressed the winds came up and were blowing very hard.  Around midnight our anchor was no longer holding us.  It was pouring rain and so dark we couldn't see anything.  The little creek was running like crazy,  We placed a call to Dave G who very calmly talked us through what to do.  We put down a second anchor and soon became well anchored again.  Thank you Dave G for your help and your calm demeanor.

The weather was not looking good for Wednesday and Thursday.  We decided to wait it out on Wednesday and wait and see what Thursday would be like.  So we stayed the day at anchor with the winds up until late afternoon.  We looked forward to a calm night.

Day Forty Four

We made it through the night without incident.  It turned out to be an okay anchorage.  The waters were relatively calm so we decided to get an early start in case the winds picked up.  We headed out about 8:00 am.  I was expecting some winds and stormy waters but fortunately it was a relatively nice day.  As we progressed during the day the canal became much more narrow.  At least we had land on both sides and the odd bridge.

Brian did manage to get a picture of the Salem Nuclear Power Plant for me.  It was about the only thing we saw most of the day.  

We made it to Chesapeake City and anchored there for the night.  It is quite windy out but relatively calm.  The weather is suppose to be okay for tomorrow but Thursday may not be.  We will travel if the weather is okay, if not, we will stay put.

Day Forty Three

We left Cape May, again, and this time the canal was much better.  It was a little rough when we first started but did calm down as the day progressed.  The canal is fairly wide at this point so there wasn't anything to see along the way.  The anchorages along the canal are quite open with little to no protection from the elements.  I don't particularly like this.  We ended the day by anchoring in Cohansey Cove.

We looked at the weather for tomorrow and it may or may not be favourable for moving on.

Day Forty Two

We left Cape May around 9:00 am.  We headed for the Cape Canal to Delaware Bay.  We were looking forward to not travelling on the ocean.  My, my we are silly people.  The wind and waves were unbelievable on the Bay.  We stayed out about 5 minutes then turned around and came back through the canal.  It was much rougher that the seas have been.  Back and anchored by 10:30.

Cape May

Not exactly the beautiful colors we have, but pretty

Cape May is a busy spot

Coast Guard training Centre

Coast Guard

We will try again tomorrow.  It was nice and sunny here today and warm in the sun.  Brian did some chores on the boat this afternoon while I rested me leg.  I had forgotten what it was like to have an injured wing.  Such a nuisance. 

Day Forty One

We decided to stay put today because the winds are up and the water is choppy.  So, no pictures today but I should have some tomorrow.

Day Forty

 We left the Atlantic City anchorage around 9:00 this morning for Cape May.  So first I will add the pictures of Atlantic City.

This is a city with a population of 32,000 people but does billions of dollars in business every year.  you got it...gambling.

The weather and the seas were beautiful today.  There wasn't anything to see along the way.  Well water of course.  Cape May is a beautiful spot.  We had planned to anchor out tonight but changed our minds. Cora does really well on the boat but she is anxious.  As long as we are moving she will cuddle up and sleep.  When we stop she just wants to get on solid ground.  She is so sweet.

We are in the Utsch's Marina.  I will take some pictures in the morning.  Travelling tomorrow will be weather dependent. 

My shoulder is doing okay and my bruises are about the same but they have stopped growing.  It took quite a few days for the full bruises to appear. 

Okay enough typing for one evening.

Day Thirty Three to Thirty Nine

Well folks, I am back.  The boat repairs took longer than expected to get everything done.  But it always does doesn't it.  So Friday night I fell and dislocated my right shoulder and bruised my left leg.  The pain in the shoulder is much better.  It's true that once the shoulder pops back in the pain diminishes immediately.   The leg on the other hand will take some time.

The boat was put back in the water on Monday.  We weren't quite ready to leave yet and I really needed a few days to rest.  We stayed in the Marina until today.  First, I cannot say enough good things about Randy the guy who towed us into the Holiday Harbour Marina.  He was so amazing.  He drove us around the town, he checked on us constantly  and helped us so much.  Randy we owe you big time.  Next, Bob L, the Marina owner,  He went above and beyond to help us. He came around several times a day to see if we needed anything.   John L  is the owner of Forked River Diesel and Generator.  We were told that his guys were booked for the next six weeks.  John took the job on himself.  He went out of his way so many times to help us.  The staff at HHM were also very helpful and pleasant.

Today we left at 10:30 am headed for Atlantic City.  I think Atlantic City is a smaller Las Vegas.  I did get a picture which I will post another day. (I am not a one finger typist, except for today of course, so this has taken forever)  

Day Thirty, Thirty One & Thirty Two

 Good Day Everyone.  I am combining these three days because we have been in our current location since Tuesday.

Even though there is a nice red dinghy in front of us it is not our dinghy

This is us getting towed

So, on Tuesday we went aground.  The title changes are minimal and we went aground overnight.  However, we did float off in the morning so we were able to move on.  We decided to travel for a half hour or so and then stop for breakfast.  This is when we went aground the second time and were not able to float off.  The collective "we" wasn't paying attention and we drifted outside the channel.  Apparently anything outside the channel becomes very low at this time of year.

So, the collective "we" had to call Boat US for a tow.  We had to travel back about three hours.  We were taken to the Holiday Harbour Marina in Waretown, NJ.  First, thank goodness we had bought the tow insurance.  The tow would have cost us $2,000 US.  

Bob is the owner of this Marina and is amazing and helped us whenever he could.  Randy the tow driver went above and beyond to help us.  He has driven us anywhere we want to go, he took me to a laundry mat that was amazing, and offered to take us grocery shopping.  

The boat is out of the water on a travel lift and is being repaired.  We will be here at least until Friday and possibly Saturday.  The diesel guys are booked for the next six weeks so the owner has been working on our boat.  Even with all they have done they continue to offer us help.

I will report on our progress as things happen.

Day Twenty Nine

We didn't leave Barnegat Bay Marina, in Brick, NJ, until 10:45 am.  We filled the fuel tanks and headed out.  We are hoping to get to a Marina where I can do laundry Tuesday or Wednesday.  We are still okay for provisions although we do lack a few items but nothing we can't live without.

We have discovered that on the ICW the water is not very deep.  Mostly between 8-10' but can be as low as 3'.  The houses along the waterway line both sides of the waterway and go on for miles and miles.  It seems that most properties along the waterway have their own dock and boat lift.  

These houses line the waterway on both sides

They look pretty new to me

North Beach Haven

North Beach Haven

Such small places

These look new

Always new construction

We anchored near these houses and I believe they are summer homes.  Either that or people go to bed at 5:00 pm.  No lights on in any of the houses.  Strange......to me anyway.