North
Carolina and Virginia…Chesapeake Bound: May 5 2022

Right
on schedule the rain stormed through Carolina Beach. All cruising boats had stowed their dinghies
aboard and simply hunkered down for the day (4/18). The up-side was that we confirmed that Barefeet
has no leaks after the massive day of deluge.
The next day cleared and we were off for the Mile Hammock Bay anchorage
on the Camp Lejeune Marine Base.
Cruising life is mostly about making decisions under uncertainty (like most of life). Usually, the uncertainty for us comes from Mother
Nature or a schedule to meet; however, today it came from the Marines and the
Coast Guard. Practice exercises had been
announced via Federal Register so we made loads of calls in an attempt to track
down the exercise schedule…all to no avail except for the response from Coast
Guard and area bridge tenders…no exercises are planned – you are all set. Okay, off we went and were anchored at Mile
Hammock at 2.30pm…settled in for the night and readied for a conference call
for Chris at 5.30pm. I showered and as I
dried off Chris yelled down, “We need to go.”
What?! It was 3.30pm and the
non-existent exercises would wrap up at 4pm.
To leave an anchorage as the day is winding down…and the next option for
a dock or anchoring is two hours away?!
This was very unusual but when the Coast Guard tells you to, “Depart the
anchorage immediately.” You simply do it
and make the best of it. On the positive
side we made the Onslow Bridge’s every thirty minute opening, I got a fancy
salon blow out for my hair (due to my wet head and the high winds while raising
the anchor) and we saw a bald eagle wrestle with an osprey over a fish right in
front of us. By 6pm we were anchored at
Swansboro, Chris made his conference call and we were truly settled in for the
night. Sheesh – that was way more
pivoting than we like. No real clarity
was provided about the exercise scramble except a call returned 24hrs later by
the Coast Guard who said the Marines were supposed to widely communicate the
schedule and they dropped the ball. Oh
well, it’s in the rear-view mirror and we are further north…all good.

Our
next hop was to Morehead City…now just a two hour drive after yesterday’s
scramble. Quickly tied up at the
Morehead Yacht Basin we jumped in an Uber with driver Edward to revisit
Beaufort, NC (4/20). We strolled the
main drag of Front Street popping into shops and grabbing a drink at Clawson’s
Restaurant & Pub. Clawson’s is a
brick and beam building from the early 1900s lovingly restored by current
owners and loaded with memorabilia and period furnishings…like the massive
mahogany bar. Cheers! With t-shirts in hand friendly Edward drove
us back across the bridges to Morehead City (fleet of one Uber drivers here). Sport fishing charters were returning to the
docks after a day on the Atlantic Ocean…with quite the haul on m/v Bill
Collector – congrats. Dinner at the
Ruddy Duck was a treat – a real favorite of ours (and closed the last time we
passed through). We come mostly for the
banana cream pie but also for the cruiser crossroads – Hi Staten (from
Brunswick Landing) and Hi David and Nancy (that’s their dog Morgan with his
head out m/v Synergy’s window).

Pivoting
continues to be the name of the game for us.
This time due to weather…as well as marina space in shorter supply than
usual. Case in point – the New Bern Grand Marina was full with a waiting
list for slips so we stayed two nights at anchor rather than one week at the
dock. All good but it keeps us on our toes. New Bern is about 14
miles up the Neuse River and a place we always pass...until...this time. We dinghied into the marina and explored the
historic riverfront town scoping out a place for dinner (4/21). The Mitchell Hardware store was amazing and
sells just about everything…including horse shoes. Wow! This
store is an area landmark that has been around since 1898 and has its own
tourist leaflet. Dinner…hhhmmm. Wildly popular Morgan’s Tavern was on Spring
Break (so that their employees can catch their breath before the summer season
kicks in) so we went to Cypress Hall and dove into the craft cocktails. Oh la la – that Gold Rush Martini is (almost)
too pretty to drink. Thanks for the tip
m/v Synergy.

The
next day was a stunner at 80F and sunny (4/22).
Off we went to the Tryon Palace.
This was North Carolina’s first permanent colonial capital (and the
original state capital). The estate was
built in 1770 by the British appointed Governor, William Tryon. William thought grand thoughts and built the
Palace at 3x the original budget (overage was made up for by taxing the colonists...you see where this is going). William and family only lived in the Palace
for one year followed by the second Governor who stayed only three-ish years
after seeing the writing on the wall about the American Revolution and scuttled
out of town under the cover of night in 1775.
Then the building became an event space and burned down in 1798. The Palace was reconstructed in 1945 with excruciating
research of every detail…original architectural drawings, period furnishings
(including some original pieces auctioned off when the Governor scedaddled in
1775) as well as detailed inventories by Tryon himself. It is a fascinating step back in time where
the cantilevered grand staircase is the highlight…and the most expensive piece
of the Palace when originally built as well as when rebuilt. We rounded out the day with Chris’ pizza on
the top deck…until the annoying midges swarmed.
Not really biters but they do leave a nasty green poo behind.

Our
morning departure from New Bern was slightly delayed due to fog dropping with a
thump before we were off for Oriental, NC (4/23). It was an unexpected treat as m/v Twin
Sisters pulled into the anchorage, too, which led to a great afternoon catching
up, snacking on donuts and having a cocktail on the porch of Toucan Grill where
the grass lawn flows to the harbor’s edge with boats backed up in the Inn’s
slips. Exploring even included some fun
girl time shopping (the guys happily entertained themselves). Great afternoon and we’ll see ya down the
road, Russ and Lori. Another great
weather day had us off exploring Oriental further afield out to River Dunes
Marina on the bikes (4/24). It is a
pretty place and super protected so we’ll keep it in our rolodex. Looks like weather forecasts have shifted
which has a messy Albemarle Sound crossing if we don’t make miles and cross in
one day rather than two. This had us
passing Belhaven and continuing through the Pamlico Sound, Pungo River,
Fairfield Canal and anchoring at Tuckahoe Point in the Alligator River (4/25). Hey, there is an ICW mile marker – not many
of those left across its 1,090 mile distance.
Mile 0 is at Norfolk so we are closing in on the Chesapeake. This favorite anchor spot was made even
better with a comforting chicken dinner roasted while underway (recipe below).

This
was a magical morning. The Milky Way
splashed across the sky with a sliver moon before sunrise followed by blue
skies and cotton ball clouds (4/26). We
cranked songs like Brandy, Ventura Highway, Horse with No Name…and crossed the
Abemarle Sound in calm conditions. The
night was spent tied up at iconic Coinjock.
Reason #1 was to receive a laptop computer battery for Chris since his
battery has been expanding and “stretching out” his computer’s skeleton. The swap was made but two pesky screws
required a dremel in order to be removed.
He was back in business. Reason
#2 was a snug spot while night storms passed.

An
early 6.30am start gave us light winds as we crossed the Currituck Sound
(4/27). This is the closest we will get
to the Outer Banks this time around because we are Norfolk bound for dinner
with dear childhood friends of Erin, Mr and Mrs Ash. We anchored in familiar Lafayette River to
dinghy to their backyard. We had a
wonderful evening - perfectly familiar and relaxed. The homecooked meal was a real treat. We departed before sundown loaded with ideas
for tomorrow’s Explore Norfolk itinerary – what a marvelous small world it is.

Our
Explore Norfolk Itinerary began with a driving tour - audio guided by Mrs Ash
and navigated by Mr Ash (4/28). It was
neat to see Norfolk through their eyes and hear the love she has for her wonderful
hometown. They dropped us off at the
Chrysler Museum with walking tour ideas for the rest of the day. Thank you!
We spent hours in the museum’s permanent galleries, special exhibition
of M.C. Escher and the Perry Glass Studio for a glassmaking demonstration. From the museum we walked to Botetourt Street
to relax at Cure Coffee before continuing to the Freemason District. The Freemason District is the oldest standing
neighborhood in Norfolk where cobblestone streets, brick sidewalks and mature
trees conjure a bygone time…including the private residence at 351 Botetourt
where a grand reception was held for General Robert E. Lee in 1870 (it’s the
three story white house with black shudders).
Dinner capped off the Explore Norfolk Itinerary at Voila with beef wellington,
lamb chops and espresso martinis for dessert.
It was delicious and the perfect end to a fabulous day.
Boat
work is top of the list for an oil hose replacement with hose shop installed
fittings. The shop is only open Monday
thru Friday which could be a problem.
Our arrival from Norfolk will be on a Friday and we hope to squeak it
all through. Just to be sure we took
four nights at Downtown Hampton Public Piers and rented a car because having
the engine disabled we feel better at a dock.
Holy cow – everything came together so smoothly. We were tied up, engine oil drained, car
acquired and hose replaced in just a few hours (4/29). B&B Hose and Rubber on Aberdeen was
lightning fast – thanks guys. Plenty of
time for a supermarket run with m/v Twin Sisters – cruisers always meet. We love it when a plan comes together! Now we have three days to explore the area:
Yorktown, Williamsburg, Smithfield…you get the idea.

Revolutionary
War history was front and center for us and the rental car. Being from Boston it is easy to think of the
war as tea thrown into the harbor, a midnight ride, Battles fought in
Lexington…and bam – we’re a country. The
reality was a seven year long guerrilla war between the global British Empire
and a rag tag Colonial Army. Park Ranger
Ty brought this alive at the Yorktown Battlefield where the British and
American soldiers met exhausted after six years of fighting (4/30). The French arrived with a staggering 26 warships
and the British surrendered in what had become a World War. George Washington was the masterful
cheerleader that kept it all together finally ending the fighting and America
had begun. A few colonial homes survived
the siege in which one cannon ball per minute was fired for eight days. The quiet, peaceful Yorktown of today is hard
to imagine as a deafening bombarded war zone of its past.

We
continued driving along the Colonial Parkway to Williamsburg where dining al fresco
under yellow umbrellas nestled beside the campus of the College of William and
Mary, the ninth oldest English speaking institute of higher learning in the
world. History is everywhere on this
Virginia peninsula. Next up was a drive
to Smithfield for ham. Easy – simply
type in the destination in the phone and out spits the directions. As we neared the water there was no bridge
anywhere in sight. Oh, it’s a ferry
crossing. That was unexpected but a good
laugh as we boarded the Jamestown – Scotland Ferry. Now it’s all about the hams along lovely
backroads. As described by Fine Cooking, "hams dry-cured, hickory-smoked, and aged in and around Smithfield,
Virginia, have been legendary since the days Thomas Jefferson and Queen Victoria
ordered them, and today there is still no more ceremonial ham for the formal
buffet table." We bought a quarter ham
and cut it into smaller sizes for vacuum sealing and into the freezer.

Back
aboard Barefeet Chris changed out the main engine’s oil filter. Hhhmmm…oil pressure seems high but still within
specifications. That is weird and led to
a deep dive online about possible causes.
Our determination – a bad oil filter.
Okay, simply get another one and swap it out. Voila – that was it and the oil pressure is
back where we are used to seeing it. Along
with research we visited the Mariner’s Museum and Park in Newport News (5/1). They have cool maritime artifacts like a
fresnel lighthouse lens and enormous ship figureheads but the real focus is the
Battle of Hampton Roads (thanks for the tip Mr and Mrs Ash). The Civil War navy battle was the first
battle between the irons (steam powered, ironclad warships CSS Virginia and USS
Monitor). It occurred on the heels of a
horrendous US naval defeat the day before (nothing worse until Pearl Harbor). This meeting ended in a draw but forever
changed naval warfare. Our heads were
overflowing with historical events so a 5 mile walk on the lake loop Noland trail
was perfect. We rounded out our time in
Hampton at Venture restaurant for Martini Monday (thanks for the tip – Russ and
Lori).

Time
to move north. Departing Hampton will
get us solidly into the Chesapeake Bay.
Off we went early at 6.30 am in order to make miles before the wind piped up in the
afternoon (5/3). Drat! The weather forecast was exactly wrong. Initial calm conditions quickly shifted to
fog (radar on), 3ft waves/3 seconds apart and 20 knots of wind, gusting higher. Needless to say, it was 6.5hrs of singular
focus with waves splashing the windshield and higher (windshield wipers used)
and breakfast was postponed until Noon when we anchored in Jackson Creek
(Deltaville, VA). The Chesapeake is
approximately 200 miles long with quickly shifting weather conditions and very
different micro-climates. So, we need
loads of bail out options and varying lengths of travel days. Deltaville is a boating mecca with several
large marinas. We dinghied ashore to
check them out as possible summer storage for Barefeet in the future
(5/4). Everyone was super friendly and facilities
looked solid - we both agreed that this would be a nice spot for summer
storage. Back aboard Barefeet we awaited
the forecast afternoon/evening storms. Heck
- we liked the sound of a fresh water rinse after yesterday’s sloshing. A bit of rain did arrive but, sadly, not the car
wash style rain we had hoped for. We
will continue moving north but a cold front and changeable conditions mean we
do not have a precise lily pad itinerary path up the Chesapeake.
Roast
Chicken
(Ina Garten) serves 3 - 4
1
5- to 6-pound roasting chicken
Kosher
salt
Freshly
ground black pepper
1
large bunch fresh thyme
1
lemon, halved
1
head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2
tablespoons butter, melted
1
Spanish onion, thickly sliced
1
cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
2
tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Preheat
the oven to 425 degrees.
-
Remove
the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat
and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large
roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the
cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of the lemon, and all the garlic.
Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt
and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips
under the body of the chicken. Scatter the onion slices around the chicken.
-
Roast
the chicken for 1-1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between
a leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you
prepare the gravy.
-
Remove
all the fat from the bottom of the pan, reserving 2 tablespoons in a small cup.
Add the chicken stock to the pan and cook on high heat for about 5 minutes,
until reduced, scraping the bottom of the pan. Combine the 2 tablespoons of
chicken fat with the flour and add to the pan. Boil for a few minutes to cook
the flour. Strain the gravy into a small saucepan and season it to taste. Keep
it warm over a very low flame while you carve the chicken.
-
Slice
the chicken onto a platter and serve immediately with the warm gravy.