Deltaville, VA to SingSing, New York

Monday, June 6 – Thursday, June  9

We attended the Monk36 rendezvous at Doziers Regatta Marina.  About 19-20 boats were registered and we  had an opportunity to find out more about our model boat and to meet some of the people who have been so helpful in answering our many questions in the past months. Rusty learned to splice.  After the demonstration of the enlarged rudder we decided that we would not go that route especially as we have an older Monk and they are not as problematic as the new Monks.

Thursday, June 9 – Sunday,  June 12

We headed next door to Zimmerman’s and had our ship/shore switch and our exhaust muffler was replaced as well as new hydraulic steering wires.  They did a great job and came in within budget.    We headed to Tangier Island late Friday afternoon  at the invitation of the Zimmerman service manager, Tom, and his wife Christina.  The island made me feel like we had been transported to a children’s storybook.  The main street is the width of a golf cart path and that is what residents drive: golf carts!  Quaint houses  lined the main street.  We stayed two nights and left early Sunday morning for Solomons Island and shortly thereafter discovered that one of our ball fenders was gone.

Monday, June 13 – Tuesday, June 14

Solomon’s Island is another area that seems to be popular with the weekend boater but we had to really dig to find out what the attraction was. A few restaurants.  A few marinas.  Okay a fairly good mariners museum.  And a pet groomer that could take Gigi on short notice.   We moored for two nights, picked up groceries and did laundry.  We left Solomon’s Island around 11 am and anchored in Rhode Creek.  The wind picked up after we went to bed .  We got up and put on the new anchor bridle and went back to bed.  About 15 minutes later we got up and took up the dinghy motor – when will we ever learn.  Finally got to bed at 1:30 am.

Wednesday, June 15

It was a nice run to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.  The city dock is convenient and is an excellent spot to check out the happenings.  We definitely have to return.  

Thursday, June 16

An early morning departure and by 2:30 we were in Chesapeake City on the C&D canal.  There is room for 3-4 boats on the dock and overflow is a nice anchorage.  We were not the early birds and so we anchored.  The town has done a great job of maintaining the Victorian period homes.

Friday, June 17

We were anxious about crossing the Delaware Bay but it turned out to be a piece of cake.  The tides were with us for most of the time and we made good time.  When we got to Cape May we topped up the fuel tanks with 192 gallons of diesel.  You do the math – ouch!  

We anchored outside the Coast Guard station and on the third try we got it.   We still need to get the feel for where we want to be after the anchor is played out.  The anchor chair got stuck and in loosening it a strip of skin on my finger peeled back to flesh.  I now use the boat hook.

Saturday, June 18

Our goal was to make it to Atlantic City.  It involved an outside run.  The Atlantic Ocean had gentle rolling swells so it was ok.  Leaving at 6 am got us into Atlantic City before noon.  We anchored outside the Coast Guard station but abandoned it because it was too rough.  We decided to continue  north but  to do the inside run.  The water is skinny  and the channel  is skinny.  The NJ boaters are unlike any we have met. They anchor in the channel and don’t seem to mind when other boats roar by and rock them.

Around  5 pm we found a small area near Beach Haven with the right water depth ,pulled off and anchored for the night.

Sunday, June 19

We had to wait until 10 am for the tide to come in before we could leave.  A few hours later we were in Tom’s River, NJ where we were hosted by a man we met through the trawler forum.  He had offered to help us with our windows and to provide dockage at his marina.  The sliding window tracks had deteriorated during the time that our boat sat on the hard (before we purchased it). 

Monday, June 20 to Friday, June 24

We removed three sliding windows, cleaned up the frames, had new tinted glass cut, installed new window 

tracks, and reinstalled the windows to the boat.  We were finished by noon on Friday. 

Our only real hiccup was the glass guy. We brought it a piece of glass first thing on Monday morning and he gave a ball park price letting us know that the glass could be ready that day if we put in the order.  Well we had to remove the rest of the windows first.  By that time, it was mid afternoon and when we returned with the old glass panes, our glass guy was not there and a very nice helper offered to pass on our request for a quotation.  We got a call and the price had increased by about 30% for clear and only 10% for the tinted.  As we wanted tinted we decided to go with it after thinking about it a bit.  By  that time the glass place was closed for the day and we had to wait until the next day to place the order.

We stopped by the next morning to give our deposit and to confirm that the glass would be ready later that day or the next day.  Our glass guy blew up at us, “it will be ready by the end of the week.  You take two days to make up your mind .  You gotta be nuts.”  If we did not have three windows out of the boat we would have walked but we had no idea whether other glass shops could be any faster.  As it turned out he called later that afternoon and said the glass was ready.

Wednesday morning we arrived at the glass shop to find two pieces of glass had cracks where the glass guy tried to reattach the pulls.  We asked that they be redone and we got the same story about getting  it done by the end of the week.  And didn’t we know that he put other jobs aside to do ours yesterday, blah, blah, blah. At about 2 pm he called to let us know the glass was ready.  I haven't decided whether he is a diamond in the rough.

We now know how to redo our boat windows. It is not that difficult when you know what you are doing.

We anchored out that evening near Manasquan Inlet ready to do the outside run to NYC the next day.

Saturday, June 25

There is a reason why small boats don’t belong on the ocean.  It was nice when we headed into New York Harbor and could relax again.  The highlight was cruising past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  We got there shortly after noon and decided to do a few more miles, ending up at a nice anchorage north of Sing Sing prison.

Fort Monroe, VA to outside Deltaville, VA

Wednesday, May 25

Rusty emptied the dinghy of water from yesterday’s storm and washed down the bilge before we headed to Davis River, VA.  There is a small fishing village on the river with a couple of vintage marinas.  We chose to anchor out.  There wasn’t much room and it took about five attempts to get good holding with adequate swing room. 

Thursday, May 26

Early morning the fishing boats motored past us and we soon followed.  The tide was low and the entrance was a bit complicated so we touched bottom for a second.  I’m not sure we can recommend Davis River as an anchorage for our size boat. 

Rusty made arrangements with Zimmerman Marine, Deltaville, VA to give us an estimate on replacement of our stainless steel muffler.  We had been warned that when a muffler goes there can be collateral damage.  And ours was rusting at the joints.  Zimmerman’s had been highly recommended by a fellow boater.

Zimmerman’s provides complimentary tie-up with full amenities while doing repair work.  We were impressed with the personnel who went out of their way to answer our questions and to ensure that we were comfortable.

Friday, May 27

Zimmerman’s had arranged for a diver to assess and scrape off the running gear.  He found the bottom and running gear to be in good condition but did clean out the intakes, bow thruster, and depth transducer.  Zincs are at 80-90%.

We decided to have Zimmerman’s quote on replacing the hydraulic cables to the upper helm.  The cables had been stiff for some time. 

 

After arranging for the work to be done after our Monk36 rendezvous June 7-9 in Deltaville, VA, we headed off to Reedville, VA, and anchored in a small cove near town.  Reedville has a huge menhaden fishing and processing industry.  Menhaden is a type of inedible fish that is used in animal food and to make vitamins. 

After a dinghy ride to town for ice cream and shore duties for Gigi we settled in for the night.  As soon as our heads touched the pillows a blanket of stale fish odor descended to the aft cabin stateroom.  Gross.  I couldn’t sleep.  After a few hours the winds shifted.

Saturday, May 28

As is our usual practice, we turned on the generator to make the morning coffee.  The  generator/shore switch was a bit stiff when we turned the generator off previously but it snapped into position with a bit of muscle.    We surmised it was stiff because it was old.  We were partly right, I suppose.

Short version of where this is going:  when we turn on the generator and move the  switch to generator power, we get a “reverse polarity” reading and there is no juice from the generator to our A/C system. We put out dilemma to the Monk Association forum and the responses indicated that our switch was kaput  but that we should look to see if there was a loose wire or setting that needed to be realigned and tightened.  Perhaps that snap we felt simply got it out of alignment.    Rusty was reluctant to remove the switch and try and fix it on the off chance that the entire thing would fall apart and we could not hook up to shore power.  It  was after all Memorial weekend.  And then there was the question:  do we pay someone to fix an old switch or do we pay someone to replace the switch.

With that heaviness, we set out again, only to find the Chesapeake Bay choppy and waves hitting us on our beam.  Once we cleared the shoals we headed north and got a break for an hour or so but then the weather started to turn.  We decided to duck into Smith Point Marina at the mouth of the Potomac.  There is very little transient traffic and we can understand why.  The entrance is shallow and not well marked but for once we had no problems.

It turned out to be a pleasant stay.  The personnel were friendly and the marina is laid-back.  Mom’s nautical decorating was evident everywhere including the bathroom stalls.  We were free to wander through the store with some purchases done on the honor system.  The nearest store is two hours away by boat and the nearest restaurant is five miles away by car.  It is remote. That evening we took a long walk down narrow one lane roads and enjoyed cool weather and fragrant bushes along the way.  We let Gigi off the leash and she had a great time.

Sunday, May 29

A long run up the Potomac today, listening to my Worship CD in the morning.  Anchored in Mattawoman Creek, MD.  Turned out to be ok once all the day boaters left.  The dinghy ride to the state park resulted in four stops to clear out the grasses from the prop.  The park was littered with dog poop.  Some  dog owners are not responsible.

Monday, May 30 to Wednesday, June 1

We passed Mt. Vernon and gave the traditional toot of the horn, arriving at the Capital Yacht Club ($1.75 per foot) around noon.  It is located next to the fish market off the Washington Channel.  We enjoyed our stay and can recommend it, although next time we will anchor in the channel and pay the  $15 daily rate for the amenities.

We met up with friends for dinner and lunch and hosted Rusty’s daughter and partner for dinner on Tuesday.  It was a lovely time in DC.  

As we headed back down the Potomac, the weather looked like it was going to get nasty so we made arrangements  to stay at Quantico Marine Base Marina.

Thursday, June 2

Before heading out we stopped by the deli and bakery in town and picked up an Italian sub, some quiche and tiramisu.  What a find!  Yummy. 

We ended up in Leonardtown, MD.  They  have built a new wharf and offer complimentary tie-ups.  The only problem is that the depth is barely four feet at low tide.  We got there at high tide and had no problems getting in.  The town is delightful.  A small square with stores and restaurants, a coffee bar, gourmet French bistro, health food store, extensive used book store, etc. etc.  Oh, yes, and the pit bulls between the dock and the town.

We noticed that the forward head was not taking in any water.   It turned out that the sea cock that takes in water for the air conditioner and the raw water wash down also brings in the water for the forward head.  We had closed the sea cock for some servicing not realizing this.   This brings up a point.  Boats need an operations manual.

Friday, June  3

We had to wait for high tide mid afternoon so we took the opportunity to have lunch at the French bistro  “Café des Artistes”.  What a find. 

Folks in Leonardtown were friendly and we had a number of people stop by the dock to talk with us.  One  recent arrival to town offered to take us on a tour and I ended up helping her put up a yarn vine at the door of the art co-op.

That night we anchored near Lovers Point.

Saturday, June 5

We spent a lovely day at historic St. Mary’s City, MD.  What we didn’t realize is that there is no St. Mary’s city.  It is a living museum on a college campus.  It was well worth the stop.  There is an ongoing archeological  dig and we were fortunate to meet two people who had lived and breathed the project professionally and now as volunteers.    We keep discovering places with historical significance from the 1600’s and it kind of debunks the idea that America is young.  Well, sort of…

There is a lovely anchorage outside the campus with a dinghy landing and we thought about staying two nights.

We discovered the repair to the anchor roller failed.  I sent an email to both Ocean Marine and Waterside in Portsmouth/Norfolk to see what they will do.

That evening we had cocktails with a couple who had seen us in DC and happened to be anchored in St. Mary’s River.  They are old salts in terms of experience and young salts in terms of energy.  They were interested in ‘perhaps’ purchasing a Monk36 down the road.

Sunday, June 5

The weather reports were a bit scattered but when we saw that the batteries were being drawn down again we decided we needed to run the engine for more than a couple of hours.  So off we went to a nice anchorage in Mill River, just a few hours from our destination tomorrow, Deltaville, VA.  I prepared lunch before we hit open water.  It is just not safe to move from flybridge to the salon when the waves are rolling the boat.

Two other sailboats were already anchored and we positioned ourselves out of their way. The anchor roller held.  Thank goodness.