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Post-Isabelle vacation cruise

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cathluk
Admiral

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USA
513 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/03/2003 : 11:31:04

Otherwise known as the "I'm glad I still have a boat" celebration. It's hard to schedule a good weeklong sailing vacation with 2 work schedules to juggle so you can imagine we were dreading the thought that our vacation would be spent dealing with insurance on the boat rather than sailing it. Fortunately, all the worry was for nothing.

On Saturday (9/20) we made our way to Deltaville expecting to find damage. The little media coverage we heard on the radio (we had long since lost power) was telling of destroyed boats & the dock that floated away in Urbanna. Turns out the marina had tried to call Friday to say our boat was fine, but with the phone lines out & the cell towers jammed they didn't reach us. We were thrilled to find the very little damage at our marina although several dock boxes are now missing. The marina next door had extensive damage to their docks, but minimal damage to boats. I'm very grateful our docks were so well built!

So, Saturday night. We have what ice & food was in our fridge packed in the cooler. Deltaville has no power & hence no water. Also, no moon so it was DARK. VERY DARK! REALLY, REALLY DARK!! The sky was amazing - so many stars. I could lay out all night & watch...well, except for the man-eating mosquitos. Bug repellent & mosquito coils just seemed to make them bite more. So much for star gazing. Sigh.

So Sunday morning we head out to start our sailing vacation & headed across the Bay to Onnancock. Did I say sailing? Well, motoring anyway. The Chesapeake Bay was glassy smooth with only an occassional ripple all day. At least it was easier to see & dodge the floating debris. On our way out of the Piankatank we saw a pod of 12-15 porpoises jumping playfully! They were wonderful to watch although we were careful not to distrurb them. When we arrived at Onnancock town dock we discovered they had both water & power and thus: warm showers!! And ice too! A good thing since I hadn't had enough left at home to fill in the cooler.

We lingered in Onnancock on Monday just relaxing after the stressful week before. Our plans had been to visit Tangier Island during the week, but we heard the damage to Tangier was extensive with the island completely flooded and several crab houses destroyed. We decided not to bother them as they put their lives back together.

Since the forecast called for rain on Tuesday we decided to rent a car (Enterprise picked us up even though their office was 30 miles away) and see what was inland. A good choice since Tues. morning it was pouring. Fortunately it stopped by noon and we had a beautiful afternoon visiting Assateague Island. A very beautiful & unspoiled place with lots of birds. Even got to see one of the famous ponies. We also had a wonderful walk on the beach - which is much bigger now than it was before Isabelle. The Altantic deposited 3 feet of sand over a road and a parking lot at the beach!

Wednesday was another beautiful day so we motorsailed back across the Bay in light winds to Mill Creek off the Great Wicomoco River. Had a bit of an adventure near the shipping lanes when the only 2 container ships we'd seen all day converged going in opposite directions just as we hit the channel. Oh, and there was a tug nearby too just to keep it exciting! We pulled back & waited for them to pass - anytime I can read the name & port on the ship is too close for my comfort! As always in the fall there were lots of brown pelicans to keep us company. I never tire of watching the pelicans skim over the water & dive for there dinner!

We anchored in Mill Creek & spent Thursday there as well just reading and enjoying the scenery (ok - and doing some polishing/cleaning which doesn't seem as much like work at anchor). This place is calm, serene, and has lots of wildlife including Bald Eagles! One came very close on Wed afternoon & on Friday we saw 5 at one time. We also saw 2 swans & a couple herons. Since there were few houses nearby (or they still had no power) & it was another moonless night the stars were wonderful (& the mosquitos less numerous).

Friday we headed back to Fishing Bay after a late breakfast of pancakes & sausage (a favorite breakfast at anchor). The wind was a steady 10-15, but from the south - right were we needed to go. So we had to zig-zag our way between the many fish traps near the Great Wicomoco & the shipping channel to get to Windmill Point. Fortunately, a late wind shift gave us a great ride past Stingray Point into the Piankatank and we pulled into our slip just in time to watch the sunset.

All in all a very relaxing vacation & much needed as we've both been very busy at work and I at least was very stressed out after the previous week preparing the house & boat for Isabelle. If the photos of the porpoises or eagles come out I'll post them, but I think the best pictures will end up being the ones in my mind when I think back on this memorable time.

Cathy
"Blown Away"
'97 C250WK #253

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Sea Trac
Master Marine Consultant

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Vanuatu
1357 Posts

Response Posted - 10/03/2003 : 11:42:05

Cathy,

Sounds like a GREAT vacation. Thanks for including such great detail, it allows us inland sailors to follow your story via a map. Which, in turn, gives your story, and our dreams, a little extra life.

I really enjoyed the read. Thanks again!

J.B. Manley
Antares '85 FK/SR #4849
Grand Lake O' the Cherokees
36°29'58" -94°59'59"

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Buzz Maring
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1768 Posts

Response Posted - 10/03/2003 : 12:00:11

<font color=blue>Cathy,

Sounds like a GREAT vacation. Thanks for including such great detail, it allows us inland sailors to follow your story via a map. Which, in turn, gives your story, and our dreams, a little extra life.

I really enjoyed the read. Thanks again! - J.B.
</font id=blue>

I concur!

I have to confess, I misread the title of your post with I first saw it ... I thought you cruised to Port Isabel ... that's in far south Texas near Brownsville where I was born. Now THAT would have been the "mother of all vacation cruises!" <img src=icon_smile_clown.gif border=0 align=middle>

Buzz Maring
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3df23b3127cce9306a9b3abad0000001010" border=0>
~~Freya~~
C-25 SK/SR #68

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Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1234 Posts

Response Posted - 10/03/2003 : 13:18:36

Thanks for the narration, Cathy. Whenever I hear stories like yours, particularly on the ocean with all the wildife that goes with it, it makes my heart ache to move to the cost.

Ben
Adventurous
#5553
C25 SR/SK
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3d703b3127cce8e8039b3c9170000001010" border=0>

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Brooke Willson
Admiral

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USA
983 Posts

Response Posted - 10/04/2003 : 07:24:35

Great story, Cathy. Friends of mine on Tangier say they are counting their blessings: some flooding, missing crab houses, but not near as catastrophic as it could have been. Tangierenes (their inside joke) have a remarkable combination of deep Methodist faith and fatalism about the weather.

Next time you're planning to visit the Shore, give me a hollar. I lived there for eight years and can recommend some other places for you to visit. It's a beautiful place if you stay off Rt. 13. Some time if you want a good overnight to anchor and enjoy the quiet, go straight across the bay from Deltaville to Occohannock Creek. There's a little workboat marina at Davis Wharf, but you can anchor in Tawes Gut just to port inside the mouth of the creek just off Camp Occohannock, or a little farther upstream off Wayne and Mary Will Browning's bed and breakfast high on the hill.

By the way, the Melson brothers at Davis Wharf hauled, cleaned and painted the bottom of my boat with Trinidad, replaced the keel pennant and hanger (including machining a new pivot pin to replace the C22 pin Catalina Direct sent me by mistake), and relaunched her for $ 200. I may sail over there next spring and stay with friends to have them do that again!

Brooke

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Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 10/04/2003 : 07:41:36

Nice read... and I agree very much... about the pelicans, its amazing to watch a pair of them feeding together...

Arlyn C-250 W/B #224
<img src="http://www.cox-internet.com/arlynstewart/rr4.jpg" border=0>
N/E Texas and Great Lakes

[url="http://www.stewartfam.net/arlyn/"]Arlyn's C250 Mods n Cruising Stories[/url]

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osmepneo
Past Commodore

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USA
1420 Posts

Response Posted - 10/04/2003 : 11:51:22

Cathy, thank you for such wonderful detail of your vacation cruise. I remember the man eating mosquitoes of Assategue from our first vist there and can picture them preventing your nights under the stars. The wildlife you shared about certainly, for me speaks of God's awesomeness. Thanks for sharing your story.

Don Peet
c25, 1665, osmepneo, sr/wk
The Great Sacandaga Lake, NY

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