It's blowing 20 to 38 knots at the moment and we are expecting the brunt of hurricane Sandy by 9 a.m. tomorrow morning. We have Abba on high volume to disguise the howling of the wind and all is good as we have spent the last day preparing Windspell for this "special event". It has been 10 days since we left  Yorktown where we took great advantage of all the historic sites and also did a successful repair of our anchor windlass and had a voluntary US Coast guard inspection which we passed with flying colours. In ten days we have have incredible varieties of experiences and made some  new friends. The photos will explain things well. We hope you don't get too badly effected by Sandy but feel free to join us if you need a safe place to stay....

We will keep you posted.

Donna and Walter

SV Windspell

It's a boat...another repair...a new windlass motor that hauls the anchor up.  It only took Walter 2 days of searching on the internet the entire USA to find one. Thank goodness for the internet;  we didn't have it 28 years ago, but then again, we didn't have an electric windlass.

Norfolk harbour-the largest naval base and busiest seaport in the world.  One of several US aircraft carriers.  To get an appreciation of the size of this ship, check the size of the guy standing on the deck  (LHS) .

Norfolk is mile 0 of the 1100 mile Intracoastal Waterway leading to Miami, Florida.   The first of numerous lift bridges we must pass under.

Entering the lock leading into the Dismal Swamp Canal.  We'll be lifted ten feet.

Dismal Swamp Canal

Sailing across Albermarle Sound to the Alligator River.  Mile 80.

Early morning start...entering the Albermarle-Pungo River canal

Morning mist on the canal

Side trip to Ocracoke Island on Pamlico Sound-the home of  pirate Blackbeard (alias Edward Teach).   

Bike rental to see the ponies of Ocracoke Island.-

DNA samples from the ponies indicate they are descendants of Spanish Mustang ponies- likely  from shipwrecks back in the 1600s.

Voted America's #1 beach for good reason...

We had some awesome body surfing waves 

Overturned horseshoe crab

Pelican in search of his supper

Shorebirds frolicking in the surf

Ocrocoke lighthouse, second oldest original and still functioning in   USA

Gazing inside up the spiral staircase of the lighthouse

We wonder how Hurricane Sandy will measure up...

Windspell stripped and spider strung on a floating dock in a hurricane hole at River Dunes up back creek off the Neuse River in Pamlico Sound    North Carolina

Since our departure from Rock Hall just over one week ago, we have sailed 150 miles down the Chesapeake Bay.  We sail somewhere between 40-50 miles each day, stopping at quiet creeks along rivers emptying into the Bay, or visiting towns.  We  try to depart each anchorage just as the sun is rising to make use of shrinking daylight hours.   As we have neared the mouth of the Bay, we have seen dolphins and pelicans!  We have visited historic St. Mary's City -a reconstruction of Maryland's first capital city before it was moved to Annapolis.  The last few days have been spent at the marina, York River Yacht Haven. so we could catch a shuttle bus that visits the three historic towns of Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg.  Walter & I have enjoyed the tours conducted by the National Park staff who have made American history  come alive for us.  It has also been an opportunity  to hunt down a new motor for our anchor windlass that suddenly quit working.  If all goes as planned, we shall soon be leaving the Chesapeake Bay and  entering the Intracoastal Walterway-over 1100 miles of canals, rivers and bays extending from Norfolk, Virginia to Miami, Florida.

A hogshead of tobacco at historic St. Mary's City-the first capital of Maryland

Replica of John Smith's vessel that mapped the Chesapeake Bay in 1608.  

Williamsburg-Virginia's 18th-century capital  city

Captive captain

Milnary in Williamsburg

Silversmith making spoons and wine cups

Home of  George Whythe who taught law to Thomas Jefferson.   Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence

Cannon overlooking the Yorktown Battlefield where George Washington with the help of the French defeated  the British General Cornwallis in 1781.  

Model of Jamestown in 1607-the first permanent English-speaking settlement in North America.  

Ongoing archeology at Jamestown

Statue of Pocohontas-who married  Jamestown settler, John  Rolfe.  Rolfe cultivated the first tobacco grown in Virginia.  He later takes Pocohontas and their son back to London where she becomes ill and dies.

    The time has come to depart these waters as it is getting quite nippy. Windspell is looking great and her crew are eagerly anticipating casting off the lines as are many other cruisers also pointing their bows south for warmer climates.

   We have enjoyed visits over the past week from our good friends, Laura and Barb and then Dexter. The weather was perfect for our cruise to a quiet anchorage on the Magothy River followed the next day by a wonderful sail to Annapolis where we toured the Naval Academy, shopped the quaint stores and had a great seafood feast at a local restaurant. 

We have done "The big shopping", acquiring enough food/provisions for the next month or so as we make our way towards Florida and ultimately the Bahamas. We will restock again in Florida. All systems are at a high level of maintenance and many spare parts have been placed aboard. We have moved into the modern era by acquiring the latest IPad which will allow us to keep connected even without WIFI.      

Spring Cove has been a perfect location for us over the past 5 months and we have made some great new friends, some of which we will be playing leap frog with as we head south.

We'll keep you posted,

Donna and Walter

Windspell ready and waiting for the southern departure

The three sopranos

Laura learning to use the  helm as we sail to Annapolis

Barb-another natural at the helm

A historic whaling schooner from Mystic Seaport, Connecticut, anchoring beside us in Sillary Bay,  Magothy  River

We had to use an electric drill to remove a wine cork as we are used to twist tops  or cartons. Just another example of the resourcefulness required for the cruising life...  

Barb getting into it!

Laura under the Bay bridge

Annapolis Naval Academy chin-up bar  with  an unrealistic wannabe candidate

Bronze bust of Tecumseh  mascot of the Naval Academy, depicting  the virtues aspired to by the students. Ironically, he helped the Canadians/British defeat the American invasion at the Battle of Queenston Heights. 

Naval Academy midshipmen mustering before lunch

Madelyn Reni, our host and friend at Spring Cove Marina with her grandson and Donna

Our car ready for a long winter's nap at Spring Cove

So we were sailing across the Bay to one of our favourite anchorages on the Magothy River but the wind wasn't quite right to make it in one tack when Donna said "why don't we go to Baltimore instead? That was a good suggestion and we had a few very interesting days which underscores why it is important to just go for it sometimes.  While we prefer out of the way quiet anchorages, Baltimore proved to be entertaining and educational and we gained a greater appreciation for American history and how it relates to our own history as our two countries were just forming. We will not forget the scene as we were dropping anchor while all the people in period costume on the famous sailing vessel, The Pride of Baltimore,were holding their hands over their ears. The stern of the vessel was no more than 50 feet from us when a volley of cannon fire ripped and echoed through the skyline of Baltimore followed immediately by acrid smoke which stung our eyes and noses. Wow, what a welcome! Then next morning we were asked to move over a bit because we were right in the middle of the dragon boat race course which was to be used by 8 a.m.sharp. We  had the best seats in the house! The pictures will explain the rest.Well, almost.....we did have our alternator fail so that we couldn't charge our batteries-  a bit stressful but hey it's a sail boat and all is well again. We now are awaiting our next visitors at the end of September, Laura and Barb, Donna's long-time friends and then we will point the bow south and begin cruising for real.

Donna and Walter 

 

Dinner at anchor  in Baltimore's inner  harbour

Just as we were anchoring the Pride of Baltimore clipper  unloads a cannon volley  and we were  wondering if  this was  because we defeated them at The Battle of Queenston Heights....na!

The rakish Pride of Baltimore with the Baltimore skyline in the  background

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The Fearless, an urban pirate vessel complete with water cannons, Arrrr...

The USS Constellation,(circa 1870) the last true sailing vessel of the US navy

Windspell amongst dragon boat races, in front of the Baltimore aquarium, and the  US  second world war diesel electric submarine, Torsk.

Notice the dragon peddle boats in the background. This is not staged!

Firing the cannons that held off the British fleet at Fort McHenry, which led to American independence in their war of 1812. This is were Frances Scott Key was inspired to write the poem which formed the lyrics to the national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.

A modern marine in period marine uniform

Helping change the Star Spangled Banner to a smaller one so that the  flag pole  won't break as the wind pipes up at Fort McHenry .

Sprinting to the finish

US Marines delivering a musket volley. Well trained troops could  fire three times per minute.

Baltimore inner harbour at dusk