1- 15 May 2005
Dowry Creek, NC. to York Town, VA.
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| Date | Destination | Log | Pictures | |
| 5/1 | Alligator River, NC | Departed Dowry Creek in rain and heavy clouds for Alligator River where we anchored mid afternoon, again in rain and clouds. Easy cruise with Phil swearing that the cigarette he is smoking will be his last, as he is trying to quit. |
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| 5/2 | Elizabeth City NC. | 6:30 am start this day to enable arrival in Elizabeth City, NC to get one of the slips at the city's down town dock area. Always a great stop. The town really caters to boaters, with Rosebuds sponsoring a nightly free wine and cheese party if over 4 boats tie up at the city slips. Below you see Bob Blakeley helping Barny enjoy the wine and cheese party. He joined us for the trip to Norfolk. |
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| After wine and cheese, we bought spiced shrimp from a local seafood market and enjoyed our new mate's company onboard, then to bed and up at 7 for the start up the Dismal Swamp. After the draw bridge we took bets whether a leaning tree would fall before we rounded the corner and marveled that the Deep Creek lock keeper put twelve boats in the lock for the 8 foot ride up to the height of the Dismal Swamp. We all made it thru and Bob, Barny, Durango, and Phil safely arrived at the dock area provided by the NC welcome center part way up the Dismal Swamp. We rafted outboard of Starsong, a 42 Grand Banks with Richard and Gail aboard, who are also "doing" the loop and hope that Bob's pictures of the Swamp come out ok. | ||||
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| 5/3 | NC Welcome Center, Dismal Swamp |
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| 5/4 | Norfolk, VA | Underway at 7:30 am we had an easy trip through the rest of the Dismal Swamp and down town Norfolk to the Norfolk Naval Base Sailing Center where we tied up for the weekend. All in all a great trip. Glad Bob could join us for a while. |  |
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| 5/ 4-9 |
Norfolk, VA | I rented a car Wednesday night and drove to Colonial Beach and later to Washington DC to pick up Ginger (my sister and Barny's wife). Barny and Durango had the duty of watching the boat during a 3 day nor' easter that kept him checking the lines and fenders. Friday and Saturday Carey, Ginger, Barny and I relaxed and enjoyed Norfolk and some great old friends, Jim and Carol McClane. |  |
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| 5/10 | York River Yacht Haven, VA | We enjoyed the Norfolk waterfront, then got underway Tuesday morning for the York River where we stopped for the week preparing for my daughter's graduation from William and Mary on Sunday 15 May. We got Ginger to drive the boat ... no land and boats in sight ... on the way and upon arriving spent the rest of the day light hours cleaning the boat, then enjoyed a diner with Jim and Ann Dickey, friends of Barny and Ginger. | ||
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| 5/11 12 |
Still at York River, Ginger scrubbed the rugs, Barny cleaned the cockpit and cooked, and I waxed the outside of the boat. Days at anchor and bad weather while watching the water usage causes the boat to get pretty dirty. It was nice to have a few days to clean it up. On Thursday Gordon and Nancy, friends of Barny and Ginger, drove down to visit for the evening. Gordon and Nancy stayed for the evening, checking out the salon hide-a-bed. | |||
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| 5/13 | Still at York River, it's time to prepare for Lauren's graduation. Tom and Bonnie Scanlin, Carey, and Ginger were now all here to help get the boat and party ready, but we stopped to watch a blessing of the fleet at the marina. | |||
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| 5/14 15 |
Graduation time for Lauren. We provided a party Saturday for Lauren's friends that included a boat ride for the guests and attended the graduation Sunday. Lauren earned her Education Specialists Degree (masters plus 30 they call it) that makes her a school psychologist, ready to assume her new job in Anne Arundel County Maryland. Late night Sunday, Barny, Durango and I settle down and prepare to start traveling north. | |||
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