Peter Searles 7/19/24 Peter Searles 7/19/24

Georgian Bay

The 168 mile stretch of Georgian Bay (GB) from Severn to Killarney, Ontario is in the books. It was very different from the rest of Canada with much more open water between inlets (hiding places). The coastline of GB reminds me of a fresh water version of Maine with rocky islands (or sometimes just exposed rocks) everywhere. It’s amazing to me how many of these little islands (in the Trent-Severn too) have houses on them. Just the logistics for building the house itself is pretty impressive but then to think of living there and having to float all your food and everything else to run a house implies some serious effort. Whether these are full-time or summer homes, I’m not sure but if one doesn’t care for having neighbors too close, this option is for you!

I encountered some bad weather while in open water the other day. Glad that Bill had gotten off or that would have been another negative comment in his cruise review. See pictures below.

From here, I continue west along what is called The North Channel which will lead me to northern Michigan eventually. My current plan is to fly home from Traverse City, Michigan (270 miles from here) at the end of July before resuming the Loop in early August. I’ve completed over 3,000 miles so far and have more than 2,000 to go.

One of the many navigation markers in Georgian Bay

Another marker and one gets a sense of the coastline. It’s rocky everywhere!

Rough weather had a unique way of rearranging everything inside. I like it the old way better.

Sportsman’s Inn and Marina at Killarney was a beautiful spot

Peter Searles 7/15/24 Peter Searles 7/15/24

Bad Google Review

The saying goes, “You can’t please everyone all the time”. Well, Schuyler and its management received a bad review from the current passenger, my brother, Bill.

His review: “This cruise has failed to meet nearly every expectation I had and that was a low bar to start with! First, I’m used to getting up at the crack of noon, so these early morning wake up calls are completely ridiculous. Not only am I woken up at an ungodly hour, eggs benedict in never on the menu for breakfast - ever! Then, after waking me up and not feeding me in accordance with my expectations, I am expected to climb all over this boat performing monkey tricks (without bananas) handling lines and fenders going through locks all day. To top it all off, the steward department ran out of Jack Daniels for my end-of-the-day attitude adjustment! My concerns have been met with disrespect and rudeness by management. I’m only giving this cruise one star because I can’t give it zero stars. Beware to all that follow me - you’ve been warned!”

My response: This passenger has done nothing but whine and complain since he got on the boat and he lost a fender along the way. Mom always liked him best anyway. The floggings will continue until moral improves!

In other news, we got out of the Port of Orillia marina this morning on time (way too early according to at least one of us) in order to time a train bridge opening at 9 AM. When we arrived at the bridge right on time, we were boat 5 in line waiting for it to open. Eventually, the first boats turned around and left after seeing a sign that there was expected to be a high volume of train traffic and the bridge would not be opening until “eleven-ish”. The bridge has a 14 foot clearance and Schuyler is 18 feet tall so we made the boat into a convertible by collapsing the two biminis and radar mast and made it under the bridge with 6 inches to spare. That move probably saved 5-6 hours of waiting during the day.

We just transited “The Big Chute” Marine Railway. Bill said that it’s the craziest thing he’s ever done on a boat and that’s saying something! Instead of a lock (or a series of locks) descending 59 feet, boats are loaded on a special railway car supported by sling cradles. The railway, starts up and over a roadway and then down into the lower body of water. It was interesting, fun, and very cool all at the same time.

We completed the Trent-Severn Waterway today when we passed through Lock 45 at Port Severn. From there, it’s on Victoria Harbour Marina tonight and on to Georgian Bay tomorrow. Also happening tomorrow, the Complainer-in-Chief is getting off and heading back home to Delaware. We’ve really enjoyed the TSW. The entirety of the TSW has been beautiful, some of it spectacular, and all of it memorable.

Four boats ahead of us waiting for the railroad bridge to open.

Schuyler as a convertible with an air draft of 13’6”

A boat ahead of us being lifted up on the Big Chute Marine Railway

Completely out of the water and heading up and over the roadway

There are 2 other boats on the railway besides the big one

Peter Searles 7/13/24 Peter Searles 7/13/24

Trent-Severn Waterway - Part 1

The Trent-Severn Waterway (TSW) has been everything that we expected and more. The scenery has been spectacular, the water crystal clear, and the people incredibly friendly. We stopped at Campbellford 2 nights ago at the town dock where we were able to shower, and have a great dinner ashore, and pick up some things at the local grocery store. We also had our first experience with the famed Tim Hortons donut shop in Canada. It was great but not much different than a Dunkin Donuts in the States. We felt like we owed it to ourselves to try as many varieties as possible - just to see if the hype was justified (it was).

The next morning, while waiting for our first lock of the day, we met Jeff and Trish aboard their boat, Oyster. They became instant friends and we travelled with them all day through every lock. We decided to find an anchorage and share some boiled shrimp and conversation for the evening. What a fantastic time we had and one of the highlights of the Loop so far. They detoured for a brief stop in Peterborough while we plowed on ahead. I hope we run into them again.

During our travels yesterday, we came upon the Peterborough lift lock. This lock was completed in 1904 and considered an engineering marvel at the time. Even today it’s pretty cool. Imagine two identical bath tubs side by side but one is 65 feet higher than the other that balance each other perfectly. The upper tub is filled with an addition 1 foot of water which is 130 tons creating an imbalance, causing the upper tub to descend, thereby raising the lower tub. Very ingenious! (see pictures below)

Last night we got to Lock 30 where we stopped along the dock wall. We had originally planned to push a little farther but there was a storm rolling in so decided it was better to stay put. I turned out to be a wise decision as the wind and rain where pretty intense for a while.

This morning, while waiting for our turn at Lock 31, a rental party boat was first through the lock. Bill asked if they had any beer to share so they tossed him one. I never saw Bill this excited on Christmas morning when we were kids!

We finally get to experience Tim Hortons first hand!

Bill before his morning coffee. Check out that wild bed-head hair do!

Bill after his morning coffee and Tim Horton sugar fix. The hat did wonders for his hair.

One of two double locks we’ve encountered. The first lock raises the boat 25 feet and then open directly into a send lock that raises us an additional 25 feet. Very impressive!

Bill handling lines at one of the locks.

Inside one of the locks before the large doors close behind us

Enjoying some time with new friends, Jeff and Trish aboard their boat, Oyster.

Our beautiful and serene anchorage off the Otonabee River. We saw beavers swimming around!

Remember the scene from the movie, Forrest Gump, where the shrimp boat is coming in and Forrest sees Lt. Dan and gets so excited that he jumps off the boat? We almost had a similar situation yesterday when Bill saw this store.

Peterborough, ON which is a city of about 80,000.

A canoe joined us in the lift lock before being raised 65 feet to the next level

This is the largest vessel we’ve seen on TSW. It will take up the entire lock!

Pete and Bill after tying up at Lock 30 just before the weather turned nasty.

Bill takes his job of Canadian Geese herding very seriously.

Peter Searles 7/9/24 Peter Searles 7/9/24

Lake Ontario Transit

We had crew change at Oswego over the weekend. Brian got off and returned home to South Carolina and my brother, Bill, joined on Monday. Bill intends to ride all the way to Severn at the western termination of the Trent-Severn Waterway which should take around 7-10 days depending on how much ground we can cover transiting all of the 46 locks that lie ahead. It turns out that they charge $5.50 Canadian dollars to transit the Brighton Swing Bridge. Yikes! We had no Canadian cash at all so the guy took $5.00 US and called it even. We were happy for the consideration and the bridge operator made a little on the side given the exchange rate.

We had to stop in the Murray Canal just past the bridge because the bridge up ahead would have been closed by the time we got there. It was for the best because we had done 75 miles from Oswego across Lake Ontario and were plenty tired. We will get underway at 8:30 in the morning in order to get to the next bridge upon their opening at 9 AM. Our plan is to cover as much ground as possible so Bill can get back home and I can press forward to get home sometime at the end of July for my next set of doctor appointments.

The lighthouse at the entrance top Oswego harbor

The fly swatter has gotten a serious workout and requires a duct tape repair before continuing to be an effective instrument of death to the pesky critters

A Canadian navigation aid with a large osprey nest on top

Schuyler docked for the night along the Murray Canal just past the Brighton Road Swing Bridge with a nice sunset in the background.

Peter Searles 7/4/24 Peter Searles 7/4/24

Locked Up!

Some of you probably read the title of today’s blog and thought, “Well, the law has finally caught up with Pete!” To that, I say, “not yet!”

So what does the title mean, you may ask? From the Hudson River, Brian and I have been lifted a total of 435 feet through 22 locks since Tuesday, July 2nd. Brian’s help through the locks has been invaluable. Today we are transiting Lake Oneida to the town of Brewerton where we will take on diesel and pump out our holding tank. From there it’s a relatively short 10 miles to the junction of the Oneida and Seneca Rivers where we turn north toward Oswego which is 24 miles beyond that. We should arrive on Saturday and will stop for a couple of days where Brian will depart on Sunday and Bill will arrive on Monday.

Starting our journey west on the Erie Canal

Lock 17 is one of only 2 locks in North America where the entry gate is lifted above the boater. The clearance for this lock is 20 feet.

Lock gate about half way closed. Kind of reminds me of a guillotine.

I always thought that the four scariest words a deck officer could hear from an engineer were, “We’ve lost the plant”. I was wrong! The four scariest words are actually, “I’ve got the conn”. I might need therapy to deal with the trauma.

Rome. I’m glad they thought to add, “NY” to the sign to avoid confusion with the other Rome.

Peter Searles 6/30/24 Peter Searles 6/30/24

End of the Hudson River (for us)

The Hudson River has turned out to be one of the highlights of the Loop so far. From New York to Troy, the Hudson has amazed us with beautiful scenery and a very leisurely trip. Unlike other segments of the Loop, there was not a lot of pleasure boat activity which made for fewer wakes and a more pleasant journey.

There was plenty to see along the Hudson. The west side of Manhattan included the Freedom Tower, the Intrepid Museum at W 46th St., interesting architecture, and the George Washington Bridge. Further up were the cliffs of Palisade on the New Jersey side of the river, Sleepy Hollow (the location of Washington Irving’s 1820 short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, and The Tappan Zee Bridge. Beyond that was my birthplace, Peekskill (which didn’t look like much from the river), the Bear Mountain Bridge, the US Military Academy at West Point, and Stone King Mountain.

The north part of the river was just as scenic if not as spectacular as the southern part. We really enjoyed the entire 150 mile length of the Hudson and look forward to doing it again.

Tonight we are at the Troy free dock and tomorrow is crew change day! Mark is heading home after almost 2 weeks aboard and Brian is joining for the Erie Canal transit which should take about a week or thereabouts. The engine gets routine service tomorrow before starting the trek west through the Erie and Oswego Canals before heading north across Lake Ontario into Canada and the Trent-Severn Waterway.

Schuyler passing West 80th street in Manhattan. Picture taken by my cousin, Gerri.

A cement barge heading south from Albany

One of the many lighthouses we saw along the Hudson River

Schuyler being passed by a tug and barge

Same oil barge heading under one of the many bridges between New York and Albany

Schuyler at the Coxsackie free dock along the Hudson River

Each American flag in this lawn represents a U.S. service member from the town of Coxsackie killed in every conflict since World War One.

Bridges being built ashore in this construction yard. We couldn’t figure out how they would get moved onto a barge for transport.

Peter Searles 6/28/24 Peter Searles 6/28/24

Goodbye, New York City

Mark and I had a great visit at Fort Schuyler. The training ship was gone on the annual summer sea term and the campus was empty except for the summer waterfront activity. The dock there wasn’t exactly a typical marina but, with the exception of pump out facilities, we had everything else we needed - electricity, water, shower, and laundry (free).

I have always had an affinity for the Hudson Valley since I was born here and I might actually be accused of being somewhat biased towards the area. Having said that, the trip up the Hudson River has been truly spectacular. The pictures below are nice but don’t fully do it justice.

Lower Manhattan and the Freedom Tower in the background

The Intrepid Museum at 46th street in Manhattan

The British Airways Concorde at the Intrepid Museum

The George Washington bridge connecting New Jersey with New York

The red lighthouse at the base of the George Washington Bridge which is the subject of the children’s book “The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge”

Half Moon Bay Marina at Croton on Hudson.

Panoramic view of the United States Military Academy at West Point

The remnants of Bannerman Castle on Pollepel Island

Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park

Peter Searles 6/27/24 Peter Searles 6/27/24

Schuyler at Schuyler

Waiting for a better weather window turned out to be a wise decision. It can happen! The weather on Tuesday morning turned out to be even better than forecast and we had a uneventful trip to New York Harbor.

The extra day at Manesquan also worked out for us because Mark and I got to reconnect with an old classmate of ours, Steve. Steve is now retired like many of the rest of us after sailing as Master for many years. I was nice to see him again.

In New York, we anchored right behind Ellis Island which gave us a good view of both the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. The pictures below are pretty awesome but witnessing it in person is even better.

We docked Schuyler on the waterfront at Fort Schuyler which was a detour of about 15 miles. They have nice floating docks here but they are not well protected from the wakes of passing boats. Still, it’s kind of nice to be here and see the school again. We are apparently the first boat to use these new facilities so we’re experiencing a few growing pains. They have been very accommodating through it all.

Connor got tired of the two adult children he was babysitting and got off today. I hope Mark and I can manage without him. He learned a few skills along the way and maybe even a few things to NOT do as well. He’s been sworn to secrecy for some things too - what happens on Schuyler, stays on Schuyler.

While waiting for the weather to improve on Monday, we met up with our classmate, Steve.

This 1,100 foot long container ship passed us on our way into NY Harbor. (I cut a few hundred feet off in the picture)

He does windows! Mark does the outside, Pat does the inside (see earlier post)

Approaching the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and into NY Harbor

Mark and Connor with Lady Liberty in the background

A beautiful sunset over the New Jersey skyline

Anybody need a bridge? Here’s one I will sell for cheap!

The UN Headquarters on the East River (AKA Anti-U.S. Central)

Schuyler with Fort Schuyler in the background. Hard to see the fort through all the trees these days.

Peter Searles 6/23/24 Peter Searles 6/23/24

Manasquan, New Jersey

We were going to try and complete the trip from Atlantic City to Manasquan, New Jersey in one day but, after looking at the offshore weather, decided that we would anchor at Forked River last night. It was hot with no A/C but we managed (see below for Connor’s solution). What a fortuitus stop! Turns out they have a boat that comes around selling ice cream. Well, we couldn’t possibly pass that up, could we? Nah!

We arrived at Manasquan, NJ today which is the terminus of the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway. From here it’s a 40 mile run up the coast to New York City. We will be very happy to see the NJICW end. It’s very pretty to look at but not so much fun to navigate. It has certainly earned its notorious reputation. We are going to wait here for a suitable weather window which looks to be Tuesday, the 25th right now.

Today’s stupid VHF radio exchange:

Unknown party: Hey Moe, hey Larry, are you out there?

Me: Soitenly!

Same unknown party: Woo. woo woo!

Me: Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk

U.S. Coast Guard: Hey you two knuckleheads, knock it off! (I just made that last part up but it would have been fuuny)

Does it get any better that floating ice cream delivery? Nope!

For $12,000 you could own your own hydrofoil surf board and be as cool as this guy!

Normally we issue death warrants to flying insects but we gave this guy a pardon.

Marking the anchor chain with spray paint

Peter Searles 6/21/24 Peter Searles 6/21/24

There’s a saying…

“There are boaters who have run aground, and those that will.” Today we moved from the latter category into the former. The New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway is notorious for shoaling and boaters running aground - that’s why many Loopers choose to run offshore and bypass the twisting, turning, crazy boaters, and, of course, the dreaded shoals. We would have bypassed all that in favor of the offshore route had the weather been conducive. As a matter of fact, the next few days look shaky from a weather standpoint. We will check the weather in the morning and see how it looks.

We are in Atlantic City tonight and took a long walk up to the famous Boardwalk. Along the way, we saw many of the streets used in the game of Monopoly. The things you see while walking around on the Boardwalk! The word “trashy” comes to mind but that barely begins to describe it fully!

Connor learning to coil our anchor snubber and weigh anchor.

This tow boat hung around like tow trucks on Katy Freeway in a rain storm - just waiting to offer their services. Having said that, we’re glad he was there. There was another boat aground not far from us. That guy got off his boat in the shallow water and pushed himself off the shoal.

For a while, I thought he might need more horsepower.

A water park along the Intracoastal waterway

One of the several bridges that opened for us

The operator of this bridge forgot to open at the prescribed time so we had to wait… Nasty letter to the Governor of New Jersey to follow.

Connor hosing off the boat from all the salt spray we collected in Delaware Bay

Connor wearing some of his dinner - looks good on him.

Mark and Connor on the Atlantic City Boardwalk with Steel Pier in the background

Connow and Pete enjoying an ice cream cone at Steel Pier

Peter Searles 6/20/24 Peter Searles 6/20/24

Hello Delaware Bay

While at Bohemia River for a few days, I had the boat pulled out of the water to replace the zincs and found a surprise - a crab trap line wrapped around the propeller shaft! I sure wasn’t counting on that!

Mark and Connor joined on Wednesday for the trip north to New York and Albany.

Today was a long 82 mile run from Bohemia Bay to Cape May, New Jersey. Tomorrow we head north toward NY. It is still to be decided whether or not we go the intracoastal waterway (inside) or up the coast (offshore). It all depends on the weather.

The prop with a fresh haircut and a new zinc

My brother, Bill, asked someone to take our picture and told them it was our first date (it wasn’t)

A car carrier passing through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.

Pilot boat alongside changing from Delaware to Maryland pilots

Connor learned how to check the oil before starting our voyage

Salem nuclear power plant along the Delaware River

Connor decided that he liked shrimp after all

Peter Searles 6/14/24 Peter Searles 6/14/24

Havre de Grace, MD

After Roy disembarked in Annapolis on Tuesday, I motored north to the Magothy River and anchored. Before too long, a man approached me in a boat and struck up a conversation about the boat and the Loop. After chatting for a bit, Bob pointed to his nearby house and suggested that I weigh anchor and dock at his place for the night which I did. Bob and his wife, Elaine, welcomed me into their home for a beer and a Loop data dump from Bob. Bob was a wealth of information on the Loop and the places to see and things to do along the way. He’s forgotten more about the Loop that I may ever know! Besides being a boater for many years, his son went to Kings Point and, of course, knew Fort Schuyler well. I truly appreciated Bob and Elaine’s hospitality and learned much from the encounter.

I spent the next night at anchor in Turner Creek (Bob’s recommendation). The entry from the Sassafras River to the anchorage was shallow and tight but was worth the effort (and heart palpitations). It was a very peaceful and beautiful place.

Arrived at Havre de Grace Thursday for a couple of days. My classmate and friend, Bart, drove down from Pennsylvania for lunch and a visit. It was great to catch up with him.

Played golf today (14th) at Bulle Rock and shot 75 which is pretty good for an old guy! I saw a deer and a fox (both the 4-legged kind). The LPGA used to play a tournament there so it’s a nice track.

I forgot to include the Tangier Island sunset picture.

Just passed under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge

House on Little Island (just north of Dobbins Island) in Magothy River

I saw the Ecuadorian training ship Buque Escuela Guayas coming down the Chesapeake Bay. 259 ft length, 33 ft beam.

Peter Searles 6/10/24 Peter Searles 6/10/24

Upper Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is reputed to have some of the best cruising anywhere and I will not dispute that assessment in any way whatsoever. After Solomons we crossed the Bay again for a stay at Oxford. Except for being mystified as to the location of our assigned dock of D-33, we loved Oxford which was yet another example of a beautiful old Chesapeake Bay town.

After Oxford it was on to beautiful St. Michaels where they had great facilities, fantastic dock staff, and great restaurants. St. Michaels flew both American and British flags. Why? See below for an explanation.

Today we arrived at Annapolis, MD which is quite a bit larger than the other towns that we’ve seen along the way. The Annapolis City Marina is centrally located near all of what the town has to offer - restaurants, shops, the U.S. Naval Academy, museums, and the state capital building.

Roy leaves tomorrow for an Uber ride to Baltimore and a flight home to Houston. Work is so overrated!

American and British flags at St. Michaels

Peter Searles 6/7/24 Peter Searles 6/7/24

Back to the 21st Century

I’m not sure exactly where it happened but sometime after leaving Tangier Island, we entered back into the 21st century. What a change at Solomons, MD! This place is one of my favorites of the Loop so far. It’s very much a boating community from the looks of it - there are boats and marinas EVERYWHERE. This must be a popular stop for Loop boats - I counted 22 of them. There are all kinds of restaurants nearby and the place is beautifully maintained too. I will definitely come back here again someday.

We are at the Solomons Island Yacht Club by virtue of being a member of the American Great Loop Cruisers Assoc. (AGLCA). Our stay was rewarded with 2 free drinks at the Club bar which was packed with members who were very friendly and interested in where we were from and what we were doing.

Where we had a windy and rough Chesapeake Bay crossing yesterday, today’s weather for our crossing was the best since Roy has been aboard. We covered 51 miles today so it was nice to have favorable conditions. Tomorrow we are heading to Oxford, MD which is around 38 miles from here.

A view of a small part of the Solomons waterfront

Peter Searles 6/6/24 Peter Searles 6/6/24

Back in Time

Somewhere in the middle of Chesapeake Bay we entered a time portal and went back about 75 years to Tangier Island, Virginia. To call this place rustic would be giving it too much credit. Not to say that I’m sorry that we came here - I’m not. It’s an interesting place with interesting history dating back to the 17th century but, clearly, the place has seen better times. There are very few cars or trucks here - the primary mode of transport is golf carts of all descriptions. We did see a volunteer fire department building complete with ambulance and fire truck but we wondered where the ambulance might transport someone in need of medical attention. There are a few restaurants on the island that are still open and near the dock but most of them closed today because it was high school graduation day. The restaurant that was open was pretty good.

The trip from Deltaville to Tangier was a little rough across Chesapeake Bay but mostly uneventful. Tomorrow we leave Virginia behind and traverse the Bay once again on our way to Solomons, Maryland.

This boat kind of sets the tone for the entire island - Its best days seem to have passed.

Tangier Island may be a little run down but their sunset was pretty awesome!

Peter Searles 6/5/24 Peter Searles 6/5/24

I’m Back!

After two weeks in Houston, I was ready to get back to the boat and resume the Loop. My last treatment on Monday was uneventful and, thankfully, it was the last of them. I only have to do labs every 6 weeks or so and see the oncologist every 3 months or so. That a lot better than doing treatments and appointments every month! Next time back to Houston will be in late July or very early August. Where I’ll be then, I don’t know.

Roy is now with me until Annapolis on the 11th when he heads back to Houston. This is Roy’s second tour on Schuyler, the first being in June of 2021 shortly after I took delivery of the boat in Seattle. I guess the first time wasn’t so bad or he wouldn’t have signed up for another tour. Or maybe it was like childbirth and he just forgot the pain… Either way, he’s mine now!

We left Norfolk this morning around 8:45 after doing some grocery shopping and arrived at Deltaville, VA at 3:30. We had planned to eat at the marina restaurant which was reported to be very good only to find out that they are closed on Wednesday. (Sad face) Fear not faithful readers of this blog - we didn’t starve. We had boiled shrimp for an appetizer and had spaghetti for dinner.

Tomorrow we are heading to Tangier Island which is a short 30 miles away. We’ve heard that they don’t have cell coverage there so there may not be a blog if that’s the case.

Our anchorage at Deltaville with a few other boats.

Peter Searles 5/19/24 Peter Searles 5/19/24

May 19, 1979

December 7, 1941, September 11, 2001, and May 19, 1979. These are all dates that will live in infamy. What, May 19, 1979? Why does that date have anything to do with the other, more well-known dates? Well it’s the date, 45 years ago today, that about 200 young mariners graduated from Fort Schuyler with degrees and Coast Guard licenses who thought that they would go out and change the world. Well, I’m not so sure that we changed the world but we were young and anxious to get out in the world and make our mark. Some sailed, some stayed ashore, and others served in the Navy or Marines - today we’re mostly retired old farts.

Today was a contrast in scenery. The first 5 hours was the solitude of the Dismal Swamp. As soon as we passed through the northern lock of the Swamp, the scenery switched to industry and naval ships. Norfolk is the largest naval base in the world and we can see why - it’s huge! There were naval shipyards, and docks stretching as far as we could see - very impressive really. Besides the naval presence, there was also, cruise ships, bulk carriers, Ro/Ro’s, and container ships. The container ships and cruise ship in Norfolk may have been due to the Dali wiping out the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore and shifting operations here. Norfolk was a surprisingly good transit with plenty to see.

Schuyler awaiting the 0830 bridge opening.

An abandoned bridge across the Dismal Swamp Canal

A sign welcoming boaters to Virginia in the Dismal Swamp

One of many U.S. Navy ships we passed going through Norfolk

Peter Searles 5/18/24 Peter Searles 5/18/24

The Dismal Swamp

Today we entered the Dismal Swamp Canal which sounds like it could be the Intracoastal Waterway version of the Bermuda Triangle, but it’s really a very peaceful and serene waterway - one of the nicest of the trip so far. After a pretty rough start across the Albemarle Sound, the passage after that was really pleasant other than dodging the thousand crab pots that littered the waters up to Elizabeth City. We did our first lock since Florida which was an experience for Pat who was a lock virgin (Mark’s description).

Picture of Schuyler taken by the passing boat Shamrock

A beautiful morning sky over our Alligator River anchorage

I guess people have had trouble finding their way

Mark ready to get through the lock and on to adult beverage time. (Halloween shoes!)

Line handling - millennial style (phone in hand)

Peter Searles 5/17/24 Peter Searles 5/17/24

Alligator River Anchorage

59 miles and we didn’t see much of note today except a bunch of other Loop boats all passing us except one other sail boat who remained behind us all day. We cruised for 10 hours and only burned 9 gallons of diesel all day so that’s pretty efficient. The other boats might go faster but it costs us a lot less to go the same distance.

We need to decide in the morning whether to go the easterly route to Coinjock or the western route to the Dismal Swamp Canal and Elizabeth City. Distance-wise it’s a tossup but the Coinjock route reportedly is subject to weekend Yahoos in their go-fast boats. Kinda reminds me of Rodney Dangerfield in Caddy Shack.

Moonset over Belhaven, NC (Pat is an insomniac)

Yesterday’s frost seems to have thawed. After 44 years of marriage, Mark has been in tougher spots and has lived to tell the tale.

The nap bug bit me and I barely felt it!

The Alligator River swing bridge opening for us and another Looper boat

Peter Searles 5/16/24 Peter Searles 5/16/24

Belhaven, NC

We arrived at Belhaven, NC today and found ourselves a really lovely little town. This place rivals Southport, NC as far as the nicest places on the Loop so far. Everything here just seemed so neat and tidy - even the empty lots were mowed and well kept which I don’t recall seeing anywhere else. Check out the cleaning lady and the beautiful sunset below.