On the water for seven days, my buddy, Admiral Joe Dyer, and I have cruised Katahdin from Charleston to Annapolis--nearly 700 miles. We enjoyed a break day yesterday in Annapolis which Joe knows well. It's raining and that gave me a chance to bring you up to date on our adventure since reaching Beaufort. It's been a blast!
After our two blue water runs from Charleston to Southport and Southport to Beaufort, we traveled up the ICW with stops at Belhaven, Coinjock, and Norfolk. From Norfolk we diagonally crossed Chesapeake Bay to Tangier Island and from Tangier we traveled up the Bay to Annapolis, stopping first at DiMillo's in West River where Ryan fixed the helm windshield wiper--a good thing as we're going to need it.
The ICW north of Belhaven offered a mix of marsh and woodlands with very little development until the outskirts of Norfolk. At R.E. Mayo, we did see three shrimp boats
apparently laid up for the season. You can picture much of the ICW as little more than a highly beautified ditch with spectacular views of woods and marshlands but large, open expanses of water like Albemarle Sound spice the trip up and add an element of danger on gnarly days.
Coinjock Marina bills itself as the most iconic stop on the Intracoastal Waterway. On the Friday evening we visted, dozens of boats lined the 1000 foot dock with bows and anchor pulpits overlapping swim platforms and dinghy davits. It was the first time that I had to sidle the Sabre 45 into negative space (meaning I had less space to dock in than our length overall). I don't know if it made me or the guy whose boat was docked in front of me more nervous. Once the dock was full, the overflow crowd rafted up to boats already on the dock.
Coinjock offered a total of about four homes in addition to the marina and ship store. That said, an overflow crowd filled the restaurant to capacity with heated competition to get an order of Friday evening's prime rib. We scored--our first red meet in weeks.
By far the best part of our stay at Coinjock, however, was a vist from great friends and scuba diving buddies Dick and Sally Filling and Sally's Mom. Having met at a now defunct dive resort on Utila in Honduras, we've known each other for two decades and have dived all over the world together. We haven't been together in a year and a half but it immediately seemed like it was only yesterday. We shared dinner and lots of laughs. Joe opined that he appreciated an opportunity to help some introverted folks come out of their shell a bit! Sally brought us a case of water, a six pack of beer, and peanut butter pretzel pillows--this last, the breakfast and lunch of Katahdin sailors everywhere!
From Coinjock we navigated bridge openings at North Landing Bridge, Centerville Turnpike Bridge, and Battlefield Boulevard Bridge and then the Great Bridge Lock which lowered us about 8 inches back to the level of Norfolk Harbor. Finally, we wound our way through the shipyards and other industrial facilities west of Norfolk before arriving at the Waterside Marina in the heart of downtown.
Wow. Norfolk Harbor is HUGE and both US Navy and commercial shipyards spread out along dozens of miles of shoreline. Both wet and dry docks host hundreds of ships for repairs and taking on or offloading stores: container vessels, tankers, car carriers, aircraft carriers, missile cruisers, logistics vessels and on and on.
After arriving Saturday afternoon, Joe and I visited Nauticus, Norfolk's naval museum and discovery center adjacent to the City's very pleasant waterfront park. As the exhibits raised questions, I picked Joe's brain and learned a lot about naval history and modern day affairs. I stopped when he said he could tell me but he'd have to shoot me afterwards!
Leaving Norfolk the next morning, it was time to pay attention. We interacted with several container ships and tug and barges but the ship that followed us out of the harbor was the one I focused on the most. We had a 10 knot speed limit; his was six. Did the pilot know that? Could they see us in front of them on their radar? Finally, we reached the Bay and turned up and across toward Tangier Island, He turned seaward. All clear.
Tangier Island simply captivated me. A quiet outpost in the southern part of the Bay, it
belongs to Virginia but is closer to Maryland. Roughly 400 souls comprise the year round population and it hosts a K-12 school with 13 teachers and 40 students. The school this year graduated one senior, Lukas Thomas.
Crabbing and tourism drive the island's economy. Crab pots surround the waters of the
island. In season, crabbers catch their prey, bring them ashore, and store them in crab pounds with circulating water until they molt. As soon as the crabs have shed their hard shell, they are taken to market where they fetch a much better price than they do during their hard shell stage. We talked with Cameron Evans, a young, college-educated entrepreneur who crabs part time. He chooses to sell his crabs direct to tourists on the island or take them ashore to restaurants himself, in both cases attracting a price that's roughly double what he would otherwise get from Tangier's only dealer. Evans also photographs all sorts of things around Tangier and Admiral Dyer bought one of an Oyster Catcher for Admiral Hewett.
The Island's fresh air and quaint, island vibe attracts tourists from around the world. In season, two tourboats arrive daily, one from Virginia and one from Maryland, and both single and twin engine planes ferry tourists from points further afield. Though perhaps not ideally located nor presented by the world's best marketing mind, Lorraine's serves meals year round and offered us a memorable stuffed flounder Mothers' Day dinner although Joe opted for a soft shell crab sandwich. Did I mention that you had your choice between fried or fried? We also tried Smith Island Cake, a famous dessert from the neighboring island in Maryland. Perhaps, like Guiness, it doesn't travel well over water or perhaps it was masquerading as Smith Island Cake. In any case, it disappointed.
The next few pictures give you a sense of Tangier's natural and man-made beauty. A lot like the coastal Maine of my childhood, it captured my imagination. I loved it there.
The next morning, we headed up the Bay 100 miles to Annapolis. A ship, the American Mariner, intentionally moored and then sunk off Smith Island highlighted the early part of our trip. Put out by the Navy more than a half century ago for target practice for planes at Pax River and perhaps further afield, the ship has taken shots from countless aviators over
the years including Admiral Joe Dyer. He had great stories to tell about the different practice sorties he ran using this ship as his target including one in an F-14 where he had to run off a small boat tied to the warning sign that this was a military target. Go figure.
In any case, a half century of target practice ultimately sunk the ship (in about 13 feet of water) and what's left is a tiny remnant of its former self.
Yesterday, we enjoyed a great breakfast at Chick and Ruth's Deli, the local hangout for Maryland governors, legislators, and what today would be called, influencers. Six hours later I still have no need of lunch! Later, Joe took me through the US Naval Academy. A place I have longed to visit for a long time. It's ideals are lofty as captured in its mission
statement and it has a long, proud history of turning plebes and midshipmen into officers and leaders. I won't bore you with its history but will share a couple of things I found interesting. By tradition, all 4000+ students eat three meals a day together in 20 minutes each. What a logistics feat. In another feat, countless graduates have 15 minute, back-to-back weddings in the Academy's chapel right after graduation each year. The bride had better be on time!
Finally, we visited the crypt of John Paul Jones under the Chapel. Considered by some to be the father of the US Navy, John Paul Jones served in the British, Russian and American navies as well as on various commercial vessels carrying a variety of flags. Though he has something of a checkered reputation, he was without question an incredible naval commander winning many difficult battles at sea. Jones died in Paris in 1792 where his body was mummified in alcohol and buried in a lead coffin. However, his grave either was not marked or the marker went missing and all record of his body's whereabouts disappeared. The US Ambassador to France located it in 1905 after a six year search and exhumed Jones and brought him to the Navy Academy's Bancroft Hall chapel where he has been in repose ever since.
As I finish writing this, it is a miserable day in Annapolis with a forecast of 20-25 knot winds, rain, fog, and 2 foot seas on upper Chesapeake Bay. We will nonetheless head to Delaware City today and hope to get to Cape May tomorrow and NYC on Friday. I'll keep you posted.
