Friday, February 2, 2024

How To Get Into Sailing and Cruising

Our third boat, Ohana, a 28-foot Pearson, sailing in the Gulf of Mexico.


People often ask us: "I think I’d like to go cruising aboard my own boat but I’ve never owned a boat before and I don’t know how to sail.  How do I get into sailing?"

First, we’d like to welcome you.  Cruising is great fun.  And you will meet some of the most fascinating, incredible people in the cruising community.  But for a newcomer, figuring out how to get into cruising can be daunting.  There are lots of different pathways to take.  There is no single, proper way; everyone is different.  But here are our suggestions for how to get into cruising, without risking your financial or physical wellbeing. 


   

  1. Take Some Classes and Get Some Certifications

The American Sailing Association and U.S. Sailing offer a ton of courses for beginners and experienced sailors. These courses are recognized by charter and insurance companies, making it possible to charter boats for sailing vacations in exotic places and, more importantly, to insure a boat that you may buy in the future.  When you buy a boat, your insurance company will most likely require you to submit a “sailing resume” detailing your boating experience.  If you have never owned a boat before and haven’t obtained basic certifications from ASA or US Sailing, they will probably require you to obtain a certain level of certification from one of these organizations (probably the introductory sailing and keelboat sailing courses).  So you might as well do it at the beginning of your learning so that you get the most out of it, rather than waiting until you already own a boat.

  





  1. Get Out on OPBs (Other Peoples’ Boats)

The courses above are great for understanding the theory behind sailing and for introducing you to some of the skills needed to be a cruising sailor.  But you really need more than just a brief introduction to these topics.  You need experience, in a variety of settings.  So you should sail on as many different kinds of boats, in as many different situations as possible: sailing dinghies, small racing boats, offshore racers, daysailers, coastal cruisers, and bluewater cruisers.  You should even spend time on cruising catamarans and powerboats, if you can.  You’ll learn new things on each boat.  The best way to learn about the art and science of trimming sails and how to make a sailboat go fast is on a racing boat, preferably a small one.  Racing also gives you experience maneuvering in close quarters while under sail.  But many of the skills needed for cruising go way beyond sailing.  Anchoring (arguably the most important skill), engine maintenance, troubleshooting electrical problems, and handling an outboard-powered dinghy are all essential skills, which you will only get on a cruising boat. 


So how do you get out on these OPBs?  

  • Go to local yacht clubs, community sailing centers, and marinas.  Introduce yourself to the members and staff.  If the club has a racing committee, find out who its members are.  Let all these people know you are interested in getting out on the water for racing and casual sailing.  These clubs usually have social media discussion groups where you can post a message inquiring about potential opportunities.  Some even have actual bulletin boards in their lobbies where you can leave a written message.    

  • Contact local race organizers.  Tell them that you are interested in volunteering for their organization and in getting out on a racing boat.  Regattas and racing organizations often have online crew matching forums.  

  • Use a crew matching service.  Racers, delivery skippers, and single-handed cruisers are often looking for crew.  (Delivery skippers are professional captains who move yachts from place to place for the yacht’s owners.  A delivery can be a few miles or it can be halfway around the globe.)  These skippers will sometimes post opportunities for temporary crew on crew-matching sites.  Some web sites also allow potential crew to post their profile information and availability so that the captains can search for appropriate candidates.  The amount of experience required varies from none to very extensive, depending on the type of boat.  Here are some crew matching web sites: 



Whenever you interact with any of these people, let them know you are willing to help with maintenance projects in exchange for getting out on the water (learning how to maintain a boat is all part of the process of becoming a cruising sailor).   Always make yourself as useful to the boat owners as possible and they'll gladly take you out.  Pro tip: bring food or beverage to share.  That sort of bribery goes a long way.


In the racing world, you'll likely start out as "rail meat", AKA human ballast.  But your role should evolve as you gain experience.  If a boat is campaigning in a race series, the skipper and crew may be more willing to take you under their wings if they know you are going to be available for several races.  If you can’t secure a space on a racing boat for a particular regatta, volunteer to work on the committee boat or with the shoreside race organization team.  You’ll get to learn by watching the races and you’ll meet some of the key people who can help you find a boat to sail on in the future.   


One word of caution: before sailing on other peoples' boats, do a little background research to make sure the boat and the skipper are up to the task.  It's not such a big deal if you're just sailing in a dinghy on a protected bay, but it's hugely important if you're making a long-distance, offshore passage.  Even if that skipper is a professional, talk to other people who have sailed with that person and find out about the condition of the boat and its safety equipment.  Take control of your own safety by bringing your own inflatable life vest.  If you are going offshore, you may also want to bring tethers, harness (if your life vest doesn’t have an integrated harness), and maybe one or two electronic safety devices such as a handheld GPS, handheld VHF radio, personal EPIRB/personal locator beacon, or satellite communicator.  Regardless of whether the skipper has filed a float plan or has a contact person on shore who is designated to be responsible for calling search & rescue authorities in the event that your boat doesn't return when it is supposed to, you should have your own float plan and your own shore-based contact person.  


Here's where you can get some example float plans: 


When we lived in Florida, we'd race on Sunday afternoons with the Motley Cruisers on Sarasota Bay.  These were cruising boats of all sizes and types that raced in a handicapped pursuit format (all the boats start at different times, according to their time handicaps).  They were fun, low-key races and we made it a point to welcome newcomers. 

For these Motley races, we'd often swap boats.  Sometimes the couples would split up: ladies on one boat, guys on another.  Here, Janet was celebrating with her crewmates after a successful day of racing against the guys.  Everyone learns new things when they sail on different boats with different people.  At the Sarasota Sailing Squadron, in Sarasota, FL.  


  1. Join A Club

If your local yacht club or sailing club is helpful for making contacts, consider joining.  You can also join national and international organizations such as American Sailing Association, US Sailing, Seven Seas Cruising Association, Cruising Club of America, or Boat Owners’ Association of the US (BOAT US).  These organizations provide many benefits, including giving you access to training resources, introducing you to sailing mentors, and discounts on gear. 


The Oxford Yacht Club, after the Annapolis to Oxford Race.  On Chesapeake Bay, in Oxford, MD.


  1. Don’t Buy a New Boat!

When you first start thinking about buying a boat, don’t contact a yacht broker.  At least not yet. Start out by just looking at a lot of boats.  Go to marinas, walk around the docks and look closely at the boats.  Do the same thing at boatyards.  You can learn more about a boat by looking at its bottom than at its topsides.  See what designs speak to you. Who knows, it might be a power boat. (And that's ok.) Figure out the purposes that the designers had in mind when they created that boat.  What particular uses would that boat be good for?  Is it primarily an offshore racer, shallow water coastal cruiser, bullet-proof bluewater cruiser, floating hotel, dock queen, etc.?  Spend time learning about specific boats, boat designers, and boat builders by browsing www.sailboatdata.com.  Join the owners’ groups for various types of boats on FaceBook.  Ask boat owners what they like and dislike about their boats? Boat owners love nothing more than to talk about their boats. Read reviews of boats published in sailing magazines.  Dive down the ultimate rabbit hole of boat porn: www.yachtworld.com.  When you have returned to your senses, check out www.sailingtexas.com and www.sailboatlistings.com.  


A boatyard is like a holy cathedral.  In St. Mary's, GA.  


You can tell a lot about a boat just by looking at its keel.  At Solomons Island, MD.


  1. Dive Into Boat Ownership: Start Small

After you have acquired some experience and feel it’s time to own a boat of your own, start small.  Obviously, the long-term cost of boat ownership increases with the size of the boat.  And this cost of ownership increases exponentially with the length of the boat.  Costs skyrocket even more when you go from a monohull sailboat to a catamaran.    


A lot of new boat owners become overwhelmed by the complexity of their boats.  The larger and newer the boat is, the more complex its systems will be.  This complexity means that these systems will need more maintenance, and this maintenance will require more advanced technical skills.  High complexity also means a high chance of breakdowns and high costs.  You will make mistakes with your boat, especially when you are new to boat ownership.  These mistakes will likely include some missteps in navigation, maneuvering, and in maintenance.  You may overlook some maintenance needs or you may perform some of your maintenance chores improperly.  All of these mistakes can result in costly repairs.  It is far better to make these early mistakes with a relatively small, inexpensive boat, than with a large, expensive one.   


Perhaps the most important reason for starting small is that you will spend more time sailing a small boat than you will a large one.  Larger boats require a lot more maintenance.  Time spent on maintenance cuts into the time available  for actually sailing your boat.  And because the process of getting a small boat underway is a lot simpler than that for getting a big boat underway, you just won’t bother to expend that energy as often with a big boat.  With a larger boat, you’ll end up spending a lot more time sitting at your dock or on your mooring.  


Start small and use the heck out of your small boat.  Only once you feel that you’ve reached the limits of its capabilities, should you start thinking about up-sizing your boat.  It’s way better to have a boat that is a little too small for your needs than one that is a little too large.  Plenty of people have crossed oceans in boats that were under 30 feet.  


There is no reason to buy a new boat.  A reasonably well-maintained fiberglass boat will easily outlive its owner.  The best used boats are ones kept in cold climates, on freshwater lakes, and that have never been used as full-time liveaboard cruisers.  Being in a cold climate means that the boat has been hauled out, winterized, and kept under a cover for about half of its life.  Salty seawater is corrosive; so a boat that hasn’t yet been in the ocean will be in better shape for its age (especially its standing rigging, electrical systems, engine, steering system, and keel bolts).  Buying a boat that was previously used for just daysailing and part-time coastal cruising is like the proverbial mint-condition used car that was only driven to church on Sundays. 


Besides the formal training and certification mentioned above, another thing that insurance companies frequently require of novice boat owners is that you hire a licensed, professional captain to do training sails with you on your boat before they will allow you to operate the boat on your own.  Hiring a captain for a couple days is a really good idea, even if your insurance company doesn’t require it.  Boats are complicated and idiosyncratic. So it helps to have someone with a lot of experience help you figure out your boat's handling characteristics and walk you through its complex systems.  


Your insurance company will also require a report from a licensed marine surveyor.  The surveyor will perform a detailed inspection, similar to a home inspection when you purchase a new home.  Get the survey before you buy the boat, since you are going to need it for your insurance, anyhow.  If the boat has mechanical, structural, or safety problems, it’s better to find out before you own it.    


For more on the topic of why you should buy a used boat rather than a new one, and how to go about buying a used boat, see our blog post titled Don’t Buy a New Boat!.


Our second boat, a Morgan 22 named Spring Tide.  We sailed this boat more than any other boat we've ever owned (even more than the one we currently live aboard fulltime).  It was so easy to maintain and easy to get underway, we'd often sail it 3 times a week.  Even though it lacked standing headroom, we took it on several multi-day cruises around Sarasota and Tampa Bays.  Despite its simplicity, it still taught us a lot about fixing and maintaining boats.  Note the rope running over the side and into the water, just aft the dark portlight.  The centerboard cable had parted so this rope was holding the centerboard in place.  A few days after this photo was taken in the summer of 2004, we hauled the boat out and replaced the cable and hardware.  This was the first DIY repair project that we ever did on one of our boats.  It was a simple fix but at the time, it seemed pretty daunting.       

Janet in the bosun's chair, fixing Fulmar's lazy jacks (Actually, she's fixing Damon's screwup).  The work never ends and it's never easy.


  1. Set Goals

Early in your quest to become a cruiser, begin to develop a long-range plan that includes a series of modest, short- and medium-term sailing goals.  This can include things like learning to sail, getting out on X number of different kinds of boats (OPBs), completing certain training courses, or sailing your own boat to a particular destination.  Keep the short-term goals modest and achievable, so that you can measure your progress more easily.  Don’t solidify your ultimate, long-term goals until you’ve gained some experience, which will help keep your goals realistic.  And don’t be afraid to amend your goals as you learn more and develop a better understanding of what is do-able.  


Keep your most ambitious, long-term goals a secret, until you actually start to make significant progress toward achieving them.  If you start telling your friends and family that you’re going to sail around the world before you’ve even sailed across the harbor, you’re setting yourself up for failure.  (But if you plan to cruise as a couple, both partners need to have buy-in and both partners need to share the same goals.  Communication with your future crewmates is crucial.)  


Your strategic planning should include financial planning and goal-setting.  You may need to save a certain amount of money or identify realistic ways to make money as you are cruising.  Reality check: don’t expect to be able to make money with a YouTube sailing channel or a blog or by writing for sailing magazines.  For every person who has made a living this way, there are thousands who have tried and failed.  But if you can work remotely, or if you have a trade skill that is in high demand, you can make money to pay your way as you go.  Working remotely is now pretty common so people are familiar with it.  But there are also a lot of professions where people can easily find work for short-term gigs: diesel mechanics, carpenters, fiberglass technicians, canvas makers, sailmakers, hospitality workers, and nurses (traveling nurse contracts).  Work for a few months then spend the rest of the year cruising. 



  1. Look After Your Health & Fitness

Operating and maintaining a cruising boat is physically and mentally demanding.  If you lead a sedentary life on shore, you’re going to find life aboard to be challenging.  Strength, flexibility, stamina, and balance are all required.  And many people who plan to go cruising after retirement don’t ever make it out there because of health reasons.  There are plenty of sailors who are still actively cruising into their 80s.  But it’s easier to do it when you're younger.  The ones who are still able to cruise later in life put effort into maintaining their fitness.  You may consider going cruising before retirement age by taking a cruising sabbatical or “pretiring” (taking time off from work with the knowledge that you will probably need to return to work at some point in the future).


Boat yoga is a real thing.  It's what cruisers call it when you have to cram your body into a tiny, inaccessible space to fix something that has broken.  Here, Damon is fixing a bad electrical connection on our engine controls, which are up in the cockpit, above this space.  He's laying on top of the refrigerator and stovetop with his feet in the galley sink.  He can't fit both arms and his head through the opening into locker space.  So he's working over his head by feel.  After about 20 minutes of discomfort, the problem was fixed.  Just another day in paradise.   


Cruising can be fun and rewarding.  It can also pose some personal and financial risks.  Whichever path you choose for getting into cruising, you should enter it with your eyes wide open, and you should take a good, long look before you leap into boat ownership.  Having a large bank account certainly helps.  But that is, by no means, sufficient or even necessary.


We have met a lot of new cruisers over the years, many of whom go on to love living aboard and sailing their boats, and they thrive in their new lifestyle.  But a surprising number of fledgling cruisers start out with ambitious dreams, only to abandon them after getting a taste of what life aboard is really like.  Sometimes the disillusionment comes from the realization of how much physical effort, mental capacity, and money are required to maintain a cruising boat (even a brand new one).  In other cases, the bloom falls off the rose after a traumatic incident, such as running aground in a dangerous inlet, being caught out in a storm, dragging anchor at night, or colliding with another boat.  Whatever stressor prompts the soul-searching, having to admit defeat and abandon one’s dreams can cause long-term emotional scarring.  These situations usually involve couples.  So on top of the trauma, there is often tremendous stress placed on the relationship. In many of these cases, the trauma could have been avoided, or at least mitigated, had the new cruisers been a little more experienced.            


The cruising lifestyle should be viewed like a vocation, one that requires extensive training and mentorship, as well as life-long learning.  Aspiring cruisers should focus on acquiring knowledge, skills, and experience before focusing on purchasing their ultimate cruising boat.  


If you do buy your own boat, help out the newbies coming up behind you.  Give aspiring sailors an opportunity to sail on your boat.  Remember what it was like for you when you were trying to get into the sailing scene.  You’ll also be doing yourself a favor because the best way to really learn a subject is to teach it.     


And just remember this:  Dumber people than us are out there cruising successfully at this very moment.  If they can do it, so can we.    






Janet & Damon Gannon started sailing together about 25 years ago.  Their current boat, Fulmar, is the 5th boat that they’ve owned together.  Damon has a master’s license from the US Coast Guard, with endorsements for sailing and towing vessels.  He also used to be certified as a keelboat sailing instructor by US Sailing.  He has been sailing and cruising since early childhood and has worked on a variety of vessel types, in a variety of capacities, over the past 4 decades.  As part of his job as a research scientist and professor of marine biology, he has trained over a hundred students and research technicians in marine safety, navigation, maritime skills, and small boat handling. 


Feel free to contact them if you’d like more specific guidance about learning to sail, searching for a boat to buy, or learning about a boat that you recently purchased.   


Damon teaching a student how to dock a twin-engine powerboat. 











Thursday, January 11, 2024

2023 Cruising Highlights, Part II: Pamlico Sound to Chesapeake Bay

 This is part II of a post describing our favorite stops during our nearly year-long cruise along the East Coast. Part I covered our favorite places south of Pamlico Sound, NC. Part II picks up in Pamlico Sound and continues northward.



Our route through the Pamlico and Albemarle Sound region of North Carolina.  South River is at point 13, Oriental is near point 7, Hobucken is south of point 25, Washington is point 31, Ocracoke is point 39, and South Lake anchorage in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is point 59.  


A clearer view without all those points obscuring the chart. 


Site of the former town of Lukens, on the east shore of the South River.


A dinghy adventure up a tributary creek that runs into the South River.


  • South River, NC (Anchor): Twenty five years ago, Damon did his dissertation research on the fish and bottlenose dolphins that inhabit the estuaries of North Carolina.  The South River was part of his study area.  It's a beautiful stretch of coastline; sparsely populated and surrounded by salt marsh and pine forest.  While we were anchored there, we spotted a large group of dolphins that included some of the same individuals that Damon studied as a graduate student all those years ago.  There's no real town here, nor any stores or facilities.  But there is a small boat dock and gravel boat ramp, which we were able to use.  On the east side of the South River, is the historic Lukens Cemetery, the only remnants of the defunct town of Lukens.  



The view from Oriental's waterfront park, looking out toward the mouth of the Neuse River and Pamlico Sound.  


The main road in the town of Oriental.  It floods pretty regularly.  You can see that the water is pretty even with the roadway.  Nobody would intentionally build a road, or a town, this low.  Of course, the water was lower (and the land was higher) when the town was founded. 


Water on that same street in Oriental, on a sunny, calm day.  If you look closely, you can see some small, brown fishies swimming near the upper left corner of the sewer grate.  They are  mummichogs.  When not swimming around in the streets, they can be found in salt marshes. 


The free shuttle that takes cruisers to the grocery store.  


The best chandlery ever, located about 50 yards from the waterfront in Oriental.


  • Oriental, NC (Dock: Oriental Marina):  The Albemarle & Pamlico Sound region of North Carolina is a fantastic area for cruising, but not many sailors have figured this out (which is one of its attractions). The little town of Oriental, on the north shore of the Neuse River estuary, is in the heart of this great cruising ground. Oriental describes itself as the “Sailing Capital of North Carolina,” and it ticks all the boxes for us.  Besides the typical restaurants and shops, Oriental really caters to cruisers.  The grocery store has a free shuttle that will pick you up at any of the local marinas.  With half a dozen marinas in town, there are plenty of marine services available: riggers, sail lofts, canvas makers, diesel mechanics, electronics shops, fiberglass repair…if you can name it, you’ll find it in the little town of Oriental.  And Oriental is home to our favorite chandlery, Inland Waterway Provision Company.  This store goes above and beyond to help cruisers and they know exactly what their customers need.  They were able to get spare parts for our engine delivered the next day, for free.  And they provide free loaner bikes for cruisers.  We stayed at the well-protected, fixed docks at the Oriental Marina. Among the marina's amenities are a tiki bar and swimming pool, just a few steps away from the dock.  The town of Oriental also has two free docks for transient cruisers, with room for 4 boats. Sadly, Oriental is also one of the places where the effects of rising waters are clearly evident. It's not uncommon to see fish swimming in the street...seriously. This wasn't the case 25 years ago when Damon was conducting his research in this region.


  

The dock at R.E. Mayo Seafood in Hobucken.  Trawl nets spread out to dry and to be mended are common at commercial fish docks. 


Fulmar on the dock at Hobucken's R.E. Mayo Seafood.  Notice the fishing boats in the background.


Loki loves commercial fish docks...there are delicious snacks just laying around everywhere.  This unfortunate pinfish was mummified.  It was the perfect pinfish jerky.  Boy was he mad that we wouldn't let him keep it. 


  • Hobucken, NC (Dock: R.E. Mayo Seafood):  This is not a marina, and it’s not luxurious, by any stretch.  It is a commercial dock for Hobucken’s fleet of large fishing vessels.  Dockage here is cheap and they sell seafood at wholesale prices.  We got overnight dockage, a pound of shrimp, and a couple grouper filets for $42!  The dock is just one long face dock, right on the ICW. So it’s easy in, easy out.  Besides selling seafood, they have a great marine supply store that caters to the fishing vessels.  So it’s a good place to stock up on parts and supplies.  There is literally nothing else in the area, besides mosquitos and stray cats, so it’s not the kind of place where you’d want to spend a lot of time.  But it’s a convenient stop, halfway between the Pamlico and Neuse Rivers, and a good departure point for heading to the Outer Banks, which lie on the opposite side of Pamlico Sound.  Because of its central location, we stopped in Hobucken three times during this cruise.   



The city docks in Washington, NC.  Fulmar is the second mast from the right.


  • Washington, NC (Dock: Washington Waterfront Docks):  We found North Carolina to be the most cruiser-friendly state, and “Little Washington” is legendary among cruisers for its hospitality.  Near the heart of this historic town, the municipal docks provide easy access to stores and restaurants of all types.  The city docks cater to cruisers, with inexpensive rates, free loaner bikes, cheap laundry facilities, and nice showers.  Most importantly, they have friendly, knowledgeable staff (who, by the way, carry dog treats in their golf carts, much to Loki’s enjoyment).  This also happens to be the home town of Pacific Seacraft Yachts, the company that built Fulmar.   Little Washington is fantastic, but it’s blazing hot in summer.  In fact, the extreme heat caused our inflatable paddle board to explode violently.  So after our stay here, we escaped the heat by heading east, down the Pamlico River and across the Sound to the Outer Banks.




Ocracoke Island has a rich maritime history.

   


Howard's Pub: for over 25 years it has been a favorite joint of ours on Ocracoke.



Silver Lake, Ocracoke's main harbor.


Loki: "Crab cakes and steaks?  Yes, please."

  • Ocracoke, NC (Dock: Anchorage Inn & Marina):  Ocracoke Island is a beach community that is part of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, which are the barrier islands that form the eastern boundary of Pamlico Sound.  Unlike the other Outer Banks communities, which are all accessible from the mainland by car, Ocracoke is only accessible by boat.  If you don’t have your own boat, you can take a ferry.  The added difficulty of getting to Ocracoke keeps it a little less crowded and a little less developed than the communities on the neighboring islands to the north.  Most of the Island is National Seashore (similar to a national park).  We stayed on a fixed dock at the Anchorage Inn & Marina, just feet away from an outdoor restaurant and swimming pool.  (You may be sensing a pattern.)  Ocracoke is not a great place to provision or to accomplish major boat projects, but the beaches are spectacular, and its temperature in the summer is about 10 degrees cooler than what you find on the west side of Pamlico Sound.  It also has great restaurants, including one of our all-time favorite beach bars, Howard’s Pub.



We celebrated Janet's birthday in Belhaven.  Who would have guessed that Loki loves cake. 


  • Belhaven, NC (Dock: Belhaven Marina):  Belhaven is a cute little town with less than 2,000 residents.  It’s on the Pungo River and feels like it’s at the edge of the known world.  The Mexican restaurant in town has great, inexpensive food and their margaritas come in a glass that’s bigger than your head.  The Belhaven Marina is one of the smallest marinas we visited and definitely one of the friendliest.  Despite its small size and reasonable price, they provided great service and had fantastic facilities.  The grocery store is a couple of miles away, so the marina provides a free, street-legal golf cart for their customers to run errands.  


  • South Lake/Alligator River, NC (Anchor):  The Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge is one of America's great wilderness areas.  It's the only place on the Atlantic coast where red wolves live.  It’s pretty far “out there,” so there aren’t any shoreside facilities.  But we found that we could get ashore by taking the dinghy up a narrow creek to where local crab fishermen keep their boats.  There was nothing there but a dirt road and a few small crab boats tied to shore.  But Loki isn’t too picky.  It wasn’t easy to find this little creek at 10:00 on a dark, overcast, misty night, even though we had been there in the daylight just a few hours earlier.  That’s just part of the fun of cruising.  This area near the mouth of the Alligator River and south shore of Albemarle Sound had the highest densities of crab pot buoys of our entire trip.  The crabbers avoided setting their gear in the main channel of the ICW but getting from the ICW to the anchorage required some careful maneuvering.   



At the free docks in Great Bridge, you get a front-row seat to watch the barges go by.


  • Great Bridge/Chesapeake, VA (Dock: Great Bridge Free Dock):  Great Bridge is at the north end of the Virginia Cut Canal, and is the gateway to Chesapeake Bay. There are two free docks just south of the Great Bridge Lock; one on either side of the drawbridge (which, believe it or not, is called the “Great Bridge Bridge”).  The docks are both located in public parks and are an easy walk to stores and restaurants.  We tied up to the bulkhead that lies between the lock and bridge.  Both of these free docks are right on the ICW, and they are long face docks, which makes arrival and departure quick & easy.  This area is very well protected from wave action and tidal currents, thanks to the lock.  There is quite a bit of commercial vessel traffic that passes through this stretch of the ICW.  It can be disconcerting to have 300-foot-long barges pass within 10 feet of your docked boat.  But you get used to it.  This is a not-to-be-missed stop on the ICW.  



Our route around the Chesapeake Bay.  Yorktown is just off the bottom of the chart, Urbanna is point 129, Reedville is 219, Solomons is west of 211, and Oxford is the northernmost point.


Looking north from the dock in Yorktown.  It's beautiful but that's a lot of open water, and it continues out into the Chesapeake.


  • Yorktown, VA (Dock: Riverwalk Landing Pier):  This is not a great place to provision or to work on boat projects.  There really aren’t any stores of any kind nearby.  But it is a great place to geek out on history.  There is  Historic Yorktown, the Yorktown Battlefield National Colonial Historic Park, the Revolutionary War Museum, the Waterman’s Museum, and a great little public beach, all within an easy walk of the dock.  And there are some very unusual geologic formations in this region that scientists call “hills.”  Having spent the last 7 years on the coastal plain of the Southeast U.S., we can’t remember the last time we encountered a hill.  The River Walk Landing public dock at York is pretty exposed to open water.  It’s not a great place to be during unsettled weather, but we had a great time there during a week of relatively calm conditions. 



Loki on the small barrier beach that protects Urbanna's harbor.


  • Urbanna, VA (Anchor and Dock: Urbanna Marina):  Urbanna is a great little town located about 10 miles up the Rappahannock River.  We stayed at anchor for several days here, then moved to a slip at the Urbanna Marina so we could fill our water tanks and do some boat chores before heading back out.  The anchorage at Urbanna is snug and it’s just a short ride to the public dinghy dock.  Restaurants, shops, and a grocery store were all within reasonable walking distance.  Marinas in the Chesapeake tend to be expensive and, yes, a bit pretentious.  Urbanna Marina is an exception.  The marina has very nice facilities but it is literally a mom & pop operation.  The owner is also the dock master, and he provided great service.  When we asked him if there was anywhere in town where we could get our propane tank filled, he apologized and said that there wasn’t any place close that could do it.  Because of this, he explained, that he was working on getting a propane filling station at the marina but it wouldn’t be operational until next season.  Then he said that he had to run some errands in the neighboring town that afternoon and could fill our tank while he was out.  So he took the tank with him, filled it, and brought it right back to our boat.  Now that’s service.  They also had free loaner bikes.

  

The smell of money.  One of the many menhaden purse seiners based in Reedville. 


The waterfront in Reedville.  There's not much freeboard on those docks, or on the surrounding land.


One of the many stately homes on Reedville's Main Street, known to locals as "Millionaire's Row."


  • Reedville, VA (Anchor):  Reedville is the menhaden fishing capital of the world, and the menhaden fishery is the largest fishery on the U.S. East Coast.  For over a century, these little fish have made Reedville a prosperous community, indicated by the Victorian mansions that line either side of the town’s main street, nicknamed “Millionaires’ Row.”   The harbor at Reedville is a complex network of relatively deep creeks, offering great protection from the weather.  One of the local restaurants has a dock that it makes available for free, even though the restaurant is only open on the weekends.  It’s a quiet, picturesque fishing town.  Cruisers just have to know not to anchor downwind from the fish processing plant or too close to the any of the commercial docks.  The menhaden fishing boats are enormous and there isn’t a lot of room to maneuver in the creeks.  




Crowd at the speed docking competition on Solomon's Island, put on by the Calvert County Watermen's Association.


Tripling up our mooring pennant in preparation for tropical storm Ophelia.


Dead calm during a blood red sunset over Solomons, as we wait for the arrival of tropical storm Ophelia.


  • Solomon’s Island, MD (Mooring: Zahnisers Safe Harbor Marina):  Solomon's Maryland is a sailing and fishing town. It's also home to the Cheseapeake Biological Laboratory; sort of the Woods Hole of Chesapeake Bay. The harbor at Solomon’s Island is large and well-protected, but its shoreline is highly developed.  Almost the entire shoreline is lined with marina docks, bulkheads, and private docks.  The mooring field operated by Zahnisers Safe Harbor Marina is extremely close to the docks.  We stayed for a total of about three weeks, during two separate stops.  For most of that time, we didn’t bother to use the outboard motor on our dinghy because we were so close to shore.  When the wind was blowing from a favorable direction, we’d compete to see who could row to the dinghy dock using the fewest number of strokes (Damon did it in 9 strokes).  Being close to shore is convenient.  But in a storm, there is such a thing as being a little too close for comfort, especially when that shoreline is ringed with docks.  The mooring fees here were the most expensive of our entire trip, comparable to the dockage rates at a lot of marinas.  Given the high rates that they charge, you’d expect the moorings to be in top condition.  Unfortunately, this was not the case.  One morning when we had returned to the boat after taking Loki for a walk, we noticed that the large trawler yacht that had been on the mooring just upwind of us, was now on a different mooring. It turned out that their mooring pennant had parted, in relatively moderate winds.  Fortunately, the owners of that boat were aboard and recognized the problem immediately.  They were able to start their engines and get the boat under control before they crashed into Fulmar.  We were very thankful for their quick action.  After hearing their story, we immediately tripled up the pennant on our mooring to be safe.  Two days later, we weathered a glancing blow from a tropical storm, without incident.  On the plus side, this marina did provide free bikes, shuttle van, and coffee (Damon can drink a lot of Joe, so this turned out to be quite a savings for us).  It also had a nice pool and outdoor bar (which we never used).  But the best thing about Zahnisers is that it is a Clean Marina, an official designation which means they have high environmental standards.  Among the requirements to maintain this standard, they have to maintain facilities for collecting used oil and antifreeze.  Oil recycling is pretty common (but not universal).  Collecting used antifreeze, however, is really rare.  Antifreeze is recyclable, but almost no marina or auto parts store accepts it. Disposing of it is a problem because it is toxic.  The last time we serviced our engine’s heat exchanger, it took us weeks to find a place that would accept the used antifreeze.  Because we knew Zahnisers would gladly take our used antifreeze, we decided to return there for a second visit to do some routine engine maintenance.  



The race fleet tied up at the Oxford Yacht Club, after finishing the Race to Oxford (from Annapolis).


  • Oxford, MD (Dock: Safe Harbor Oxford Marina):  Oxford is a quiet, little village on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, with a healthy mix of yachts and commercial fishing boats.  There is definitely a lot of money there.  Many of the elegant homes seemed like weekend retreats for people whose primary residences are near DC or Baltimore.  We were in Oxford during the 68th annual Race to Oxford, a sailing regatta that goes from Annapolis to Oxford and is sponsored by the U.S. Naval Academy.  The marina was quite nice.  Like most marinas around the Chesapeake, it seemed to cater primarily to local yacht owners rather than transient cruisers.  While we were tied up in Oxford, we experienced some of the strongest thunder storms of our entire trip.      



So those were some of the highlights from our 317 days of cruising the East Coast.  We hope to revisit these places again.  But for now, we need to concentrate on replenishing our cruising kitty!