Sunday October 10th 2010

Amid beautiful sunshine, we finally departed from Point Look Out Marina and headed South. It was one of those mornings where you are grateful to be alive! And, there are more boats out and about, than there were on our trip North.

After a fabulous day on the water, we headed into Dozier’s Regatta Point Yacht Center, in Deltaville, Virginia. This marina is on the opposite side of the peninsula from Deltaville Marina, where we stayed on the way North. We went aground in the channel on our way out of Deltaville, previously, and did not want to do it again. We decided to give Dozier’s a try, and are we ever glad we did!!! It is a beautiful marina!! We liked it so much, we decided to stay a second night when the weather went bad! This allowed us the opportunity to talk with a couple from Canada that are also traveling south to the Bahamas. I’m sure we will run into them again.

Tuesday October 12th 2010

We left Deltaville early, on another beautiful sunny day. The wind even decided to cooperate so we could sail!! We saw several other sailboats heading South, and even a few freighters. Around 4:00 we pulled into Bluewater Marina in Hampton, Virginia, and guess who was there?? The same Canadian couple.

By this time, the temperature was pretty warm, so we decided to take advantage of it, and went for a dip in the pool. It was fairly cold, but very refreshing! As the sun started to fade, we headed for the restaurant bar for a beer and some dinner. With our tummies full, we headed back to the boat. As we got closer, we could hear the sounds of a marching band, and realized that they were having a practice directly across the water from us, at Hampton College. It brought back a few Husky band memories!!

Wednesday October 13th 2010

Today was overcast and gray. Quite a contrast to yesterday. We left early, and headed for Norfolk/Portsmouth. The water was a little choppy, and for awhile we were surfing on the waves. As we made our way past the Navy base and Ocean Marine Yacht Center, it looked so different without the bright sunshine we had when we were there last time. We were able to put up the Yankee sail, to increase our speed and help even out the boat, but it had to come down when we got to the first bridge.

All in all, we had to go under three bridges, and go through one lock, to get to our destination, the Atlantic Yacht Center in Chesapeake, Virginia. It is very near the North Carolina border. We will stay here for several days while we wait for a break in the weather. It is supposed to deteriorate rapidly.

We walked up the road towards town, and the first thing we saw was…. a Dairy Queen!! So, we had a late lunch there, then walked to the grocery store to pick up a few items, and then returned to the DQ for a blizzard.

Thursday October 14th 2010

On the road again….We decided to take advantage of being stuck, and rented a car. Destination? The Outer Banks of North Carolina. We headed south and had no sooner gotten across the border when a severe thunderstorm blew in. It was raining so hard that it became impossible to see the road. We pulled over into a gas station to wait it out, along with about a dozen other cars. Not only did we have thunder and lightning, but a steady downpour, and hail the size of nickels. It reminded us of the storms you see that precede a tornado. We were expecting a cow to go flying by! Fortunately that didn’t happen. After about 20 minutes the storm let up, and we were on our way. A few miles down the road, the sun came out and everything was dry!

We drove through Kitty Hawk, and on to Kill Devil Hills, where we visited a monument erected for the Wright Brothers and their successful attempts at flying a motorized glider. The monument sits atop what was the highest sand dune in the area. From the top, you can see for miles in all directions: the Atlantic Ocean to the East, Albemarle Sound to the West, the Outer Banks stretching South to Cape Hatteras, and North to Virginia.

Next, it was past time for lunch, so we drove down the main street by the beach, looking for someplace to eat. Most of the restaurants were closed for the off season, but we finally came upon the “Kill Devil Hill Grill”. The parking lot was packed, so we figured it had to be good. It wasn’t good, it was great!!! The locals told us to have the steak and cheese egg rolls. They were fabulous! We even got an order to take back to the boat for later. We also had a fried chicken salad, with corn, cucumber, bacon and tomatoes. It was yummy!! As if that wasn’t enough, we also tried the fresh strawberry shortcake. Homemade and to die for!!!!

When it was time to roll out of the diner, the thunderstorm had hit there, so we waited a bit to let it blow over. Then, we headed for Roanoke Island. It is the site of the place where Sir Walter Raleigh built a fort for the 116 people he brought to the new world. Ten years later, someone finally got back to the settlement and found it abandoned. The colony was gone and never found. They call it the Lost Colony, and there are several theories as to what happened to the colonists. During the peak tourist season there is a lot to see and do, but in the off season, they were doing some renovations and there was not a lot to see, especially in the rain, so we headed back to Chesapeake.

Friday October 15th 2010

Today, high winds are predicted, so we will stay put! The weather has been changing all day long. Sunny and warm, to cool and raining, but always windy. I tried to cook breakfast this morning, but could not get the propane stove to work! Dave fooled with it for awhile, then decided we had better hang on to the car in case we needed to get parts. Which we did. The propane tank needed a new regulator.

So, while Dave works on the boat, I’ve been paying bills and am now working on the blog. It’s nice to have the time, with power, to work on it. Tonight we are taking our neighbor out for dinner, so he can advise us on anchorages as we head south. He is all alone on his 50 foot Gulfstar sailboat.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!! We are looking forward to listening to the Huskies play Oregon State. It is so hard though, when the game doesn’t start until 10:00pm EST.

We are hoping to leave here on Sunday, and it looks like we’ll have a week of good weather to sail in. Next stop, the Alligator River! We did finally get a chance to buy some warmer clothes to wear as we head south. It’s tough without a heater on board. We can’t get to Florida fast enough!!

Stay warm, stay healthy, and I’ll report in next week! Our love to you all!

Love & Hugs,

The Admiral