Just as predicted, the weather on Friday, 11/5/21, was indeed worse. The wind blew cold blasts and the skies remained dark and gloomy. I braved the elements, bundled up and walked into town from the marina to catch an Uber I’d ordered to carry me to and from the nearest CVS Pharmacy for yet more prescriptions that morning. Just as we arrived in Beaufort, they were experiencing King Tides which flooded the marinas, engulfed Main Street, and swamped many parking lots adjacent to the coastline. In my fabric boat shoes, it was quite a challenge for me to navigate the non-flooded areas on my way into town without stepping into an ankle-deep puddle. I did NOT want to spend the day in soaking wet shoes.

We could tell historic downtown Beaufort is charming, even though the dreary weather did it no favors. (I long ago realized how very much the charm and attractiveness of an area depends upon the weather that’s there during our stay!) For lunch, Steve and I walked up to the nearby Dock House to cash in our wooden nickels we’d received from the harbor master upon our arrival the day before. Steve enjoyed two free beers while we hung out at the bar listening to two extremely anxious dogs who were also there with their owners. These dogs were SO excited, they actually made screaming noises at their owners! It was kind of humorous for a little while, but we were happy to depart once Steve finished his beers.

We walked around town some before enjoying a tasty Mexican dinner and margaritas at nearby Mezcalito’s in historic downtown Beaufort, all the while discussing the approaching “big blow”, and wondering exactly what kind of winds we were in for.

On Saturday, 11/6/21, the weather was still atrocious, but Steve was a bit disappointed the weather was not as exciting as had been predicted over and over. The whole reason we’d “hunkered down” here in Beaufort was to hide out from said “big blow”. The winds were supposed to have hit us last night, but did not even start to really pick-up until this morning, when they were still “underwhelming” in Steve’s opinion. He did remember to zip the back door into the flybridge the night before, so we could hear it flapping and clanking above the salon, which always indicates the wind is higher than usual.

Even with the wind, I was getting cabin fever, so I put on my jacket and climbed out of the boat to go explore downtown Beaufort looking for antique stores, which I happily found. Later on in the afternoon, Steve met me in town for a tasty early dinner at Clawson’s Restaurant. Our intent was to finish dinner and get back to the boat before the approaching rains hit our area, which we did!

On Sunday, 11/07/21, we drove our marina’s clunker of a courtesy car (worst one so far!) up to Food Lion for some much-needed groceries. Today’s weather was much colder and blustery, with gusts up to 40 mph, according to the top of Legacy’s mast. Later that evening we walked over to highly-touted Ribeye’s for dinner and enjoyed some really good food and libations. We fought the freezing brisk winds walking all the way back to the boat afterward. 😐 The arrival of this weather system only served to deepen the effects of the King Tides on the area. We were amazed at just how high that water got – even entering several storefronts along the far side of Main Street!

Monday, 11/8/21, dawned with glorious SUNSHINE, even though the sharp, north winds were still blasting Beaufort. We called an Uber to take us to Fantastic Sam’s and to Michael’s, and wound up riding with an entertaining driver named Emily, who looked and sounded like she could have been my friend, Carol McDaniel’s sister. She and I shared several lively discussions, including possible ways to murder our husbands without getting caught – LOL! While all the time, Steve sat right beside me in the backseat listening to everything we said! 🙂

Later that day, we met our friends from Nashville, Bonnie and Mike O’Shea, who just purchased their own trawler and drove over from their marina in nearby New Bern, NC, to meet us. We shared a great lunch at Beaufort Grocery, laughing, talking, and sharing boat stories. They came back that afternoon to see Legacy and to share more laughter onboard. It was great to see them!

The weather on Thursday morning, 11/04/21, was disappointing, at best. Cold, cloudy, dreary and windy. 🙁 After leaving our slip at Dowry Creek Marina, and following the Pungo River southward into the Pamlico River, Legacy rode 4-6 foot rolling swells as we crossed massive Pamlico Sound and eventually entered the gigantic Neuse River. We both sat up in the flybridge, all bundled up against the cold. I held on for dear life until we got through those swells, as they were trying to throw me off of my bench seat!

As very poor weather conditions always beget very poor pictures, I took none as we traveled on this day. After cruising the Neuse River for some distance, we turned Legacy’s bow to port, where we entered Addams Creek; a smaller waterway, with much calmer cruising conditions, although we could still barely see the noses in front of our faces, thanks to the weather.

Addams Creek ultimately empties into Harlowe Creek, north of Beaufort, NC. We arrived Beaufort Town Docks at 2:30 pm, where we had booked slip reservations for the next several days to wait out an approaching weather system. It’s better to be in a slip during high winds than it is to be tied-up to an outer wall, even though our slip here was on the outside, so we were fairly exposed. Still, we were just happy to have a place to hunker down, as the already horrible weather was only supposed to go downhill that weekend – not turning sunny again until the next coming Monday. YUCK!

Position: N 34° 42.924, W 76° 39.850

Distance traveled:  71 SM

Total distance traveled:  5312 SM

Total marina nights: 402

Total nights at anchor: 23

Locks today: 0

Locks Total:  29

Continuing southward on the Alligator River, Legacy left Alligator River Marina’s slip #13 at 8:15 on Wednesday morning, 11/03/21, bound for today’s planned destination of Dowry Creek Marina in Belhaven, NC. Conditions were windier than we normally liked, but thankfully we were cruising with the wind which gave us an extra push downriver. Winds were at 18-19 knots and the waves following us were 2-3 feet in height, as a result. We were thankful those waves were to our stern! Before long we entered a long, narrow stretch of man-made ICW that is very protected from the wind, providing us with optimum cruising conditions. That particular stretch connects the Alligator River with the Pungo River in NC, and its banks are so close to the boat we had an intimate, close-up view of the early fall colors in the trees, now really beginning to pop.

As the day progressed, the skies began to cloud up, until completely clouded over. The cloudier the skies got, the chillier the air became, sending us both below for additional clothing. Only periodically the sun would tease us by popping out for a few seconds, then promptly go back into hiding. At this point, the temperature was in the high 50s, accompanied by a stiff breeze.

Our boat pulled into Dowry Creek Marina in Belhaven, NC, at 1:30 pm that afternoon, where we were instructed to tie-up to a dock with fixed pilings to our starboard side. It was so cold outside by then, we were ready to get tied-up, plugged-in, and down inside of our warm salon!

The last time we stayed in Belhaven, our marina was located right downtown within a walkable distance of Main Street and our beloved Spoon River Restaurant. This time through being a Wednesday night, I was worried that Spoon River would be closed, but fortunately for us they’d recently changed their hours and we were once again treated to their delicious fare. 🙂 Since Dowry Creek Marina is out from town, we borrowed their courtesy vehicle, which was a Mercedes, albeit older, high-mileage, and a bit worse for wear. We met Jim and Steve, aboard Celtic Star, who were also slipped at Dowry Creek Marina, so they caught a ride with us to and from Spoon River. They’d heard great things about that restaurant and we assured them they would not be disappointed.

Position: N 35° 31.977, W 76° 32.120

Distance traveled:  49 SM

Total distance traveled:  5241 SM

Total marina nights: 396

Total nights at anchor: 23

Locks today: 0

Locks Total:  29

Day 419

Oh, happy day, we FINALLY left Atlantic Yacht Basin Marina, south of Chesapeake, VA, at 7:30 am on Tuesday morning, 11/02/21, on our way to Dowry Creek Marina in Belhaven, NC. As we left our cozy and private slip behind the marina, we witnessed another one of the prettiest sunrises we’ve seen on this water journey of ours. Obviously, October and November are the prime months for gorgeous sunrises on the east coast!

Cruising southward on the Elizabeth River, we realized we’d stay on the ICW (intra coastal waterway) for most of today’s travels, which meant remaining in protected waters, of which I am always a big fan. Right off the bat that morning, we had to wait for the Centerville Turnpike Bridge to swing open at its scheduled time of 8:30 am. The weather was chilly out this morning – starting to feel like FALL – so I was dressed in long pants and a light jacket, even though Captain Steve stayed true to his shorts and t-shirt.

We dodged lots of cypress knees through the dark, tannin-colored waters of the Elizabeth River, which is surprisingly shallow and has an average depth of only 14-feet. Soon, the Elizabeth River entered the beautiful North Landing River Natural Area Preserve. The waterway began to widen, but remained shallow enough for Legacy’s propellers to once again stir up fish in her wake, which instantly gained us another seagull entourage! I love watching those birds up close, as they so effortlessly swoop, hover, and dive for their prey.

When we crossed under the VA Highway 165 bridge, and just before we crossed the state line between Virginia and North Carolina, the Elizabeth River changed to the North Landing River. We entered the long Currituck Sound, where the waters widen and deepen considerably. The North Landing River becomes the North River before emptying into the massive Albemarle Sound; notorious for very rough waters and monstrous swells during bad weather. Fortunately, we’d paid careful attention to the weather forecasts, so today’s cruising conditions on the Albemarle were perfectly flat and calm. As we remembered from our trip northward through the Albemarle, earlier this year, it is one gigantic body of water!

Just on the southern side of Albemarle Sound, at the Palmetto-Peartree Preserve, and near Fort Landing, NC, we entered into the Alligator River. Right before we reached the NC Highway 64 bridge, we arrived at Alligator River Marina, east of Columbia, NC, about 2:30 pm. Last time we stayed at Alligator River Marina, we were tied to a transient wall, but this time they put us into a slip with only pilings to tie onto. Slip #13 was really narrow, but Steve reversed into it like a champ, and, thankfully, the dock attendant helped me throw Legacy’s bow lines over the tall port and starboard pilings.

Even though this slip offered only a tiny dock-finger to the starboard side of our cockpit with which to board and leave our boat, I managed not to fall into the water, even though I felt my nerves on high alert each time. 😐 After another less-than-thrilling dinner at the Alligator River Marina office/gas station, we turned in early for this one-night stay.

Position: N 35° 54.359, W 76° 01.727

Distance traveled:  73 NM

Total distance traveled:  5192 SM

Total marina nights: 395

Total nights at anchor: 23

Locks today: 0

Locks Total:  29

Day 406 – 418

Bright and early on Thursday morning, 10/21/21, one of AYB’s mechanics arrived at our boat to disappear into Legacy’s engine room and inspect our leaking starboard engine exhaust. From what he could tell initially, he should be able to have us repaired and ready to cruise again by that Saturday, 10/23/21. Great news! 🙂 Even though I was still exhausted from coughing myself silly, once the technician left the boat, Steve and I walked up to a nearby Chili’s for an underwhelming lunch, then farther down to Kroger to restock on provisions. As we were leaving with our multiple bags of groceries for the long (almost one-mile) hike back to our marina, we both wished we’d thought to pull our little blue wagon along with us, since that’s what we’d actually purchased it for… D’OH!

Even though I was enchanted with our peaceful, hideaway slip behind AYB’s marina, I had to stop myself repeatedly from focusing on the fact that our perfect location was basically a fire death-trap, should a fire accidentally start somewhere along our covered finger… We’d read and heard of several recent and horrific fire tragedies occurring in covered marinas across the country, so that worry was often in the back of my mind. 😐 Fortunately, all was well, and Legacy and her crew emerged from that covered slip unscathed.

On Friday, 10/22/21, we walked back up to town, dodging raindrops, for lunch at a dive bar called Big Woody’s, which was just on the far side of the Great Bridge. When we got back to the boat that afternoon, the marina informed us they could not repair the leaking engine exhaust, and so had requested for a new one to be fabricated offsite and replace the old one. UGH! This meant we would be staying at AYB longer than we’d hoped.

During our stay, I walked up to town to a shopping center that housed several exciting stores like Tuesday Morning, Dollar Tree, and Cato, just to do some browsing and spend some time off of the boat. Steve walked up to meet me afterward for another dinner at Vino’s. The weather being just perfect for walking.

As soon as we’d arrived in the Norfolk area, I texted our boating friends we’d met down at Stock Island, Cathy and Scott McKinley, who we’d visited last time on our trip northward, to let them know we were back in their area once again. Since AYB is not far south of where they live, they arranged to drive down and pick us up on Sunday, 10/24/21, and take us to one of their favorite riverfront restaurants in the area. Again, the weather could not have been better, and the four of us thoroughly enjoyed our lunches and each others’ company. So good to see them both again! Later that day, Steve and I commented on just how perfect that day’s weather would’ve been for us to make a major water crossing (the upcoming Albemarle Sound, maybe?), had we not been stuck in place waiting on yet another boat part…

Over the next several days, we made multiple walking trips, and I even Ubered to Michael’s for more crafting supplies. We ate meals at Lockside Bar & Grill and Taste of China, since we had so much downtime. Our wayward boat part finally arrived, and AYB’s mechanics got Legacy back up and running on Wednesday morning, 10/27/21. Unfortunately, we still could not leave due to bad weather and/or no openings at upcoming marinas. SO frustrating!

On Thursday, 10/28/21, we had been “in the cave” for so long, my poor boat plants hadn’t seen sunlight in a full week, so I finally carried them all outside and into the cockpit for some well-deserved natural light. I swear they were so happy with me I could almost hear them cheering. 😉 Improved weather conditions and upcoming marina vacancies had us believing we were finally going to throw off our lines for regions southward, until Steve discovered another broken water pump on the morning of Friday, 10/29! ARGH… We would have to stay until at least Monday, 11/01, so AYB could replace it for us. 🙁 By this time, we’d stayed so long in Chesapeake, VA, I was beginning to think we were destined to move there!

Of course we had perfect traveling weather and conditions on Saturday, 10/30, and Sunday, 10/31, which we had to just sit and look at, since we were being held hostage at AYB. That frustration called for some extra boat drinks – let me tell you! Steve pulled our little blue wagon back up to Kroger for some more groceries, while I stayed onboard and updated this blog. By this point, we had been 10 straight days in “the cave”, and counting.

Monday, 11/01/21, dawned bright, clear and calm yet again – another glorious fall day of which we could still not take advantage. We both had all fingers and toes crossed that AYB would be able to install our new water pump on that afternoon, so we could finally leave out on Tuesday morning, 11/02/21. Glory hallelujah, our pump WAS installed that afternoon, and Legacy was once again ready for departure! To celebrate, we walked back up to Vino’s for a special ‘send-off’ dinner that evening. In fact, we were so anxious to start celebrating, we arrived at the restaurant a full 20 minutes before it opened at 5:00 pm, and – since we had no car to wait in, nor were there any outside benches in front of the place – wound up sitting outside on the curb like a couple of vagrants! At 5:00 pm, we were their very first patrons, happily ordering another delicious meal; this time celebrating with a festive bottle of wine.

Day 405

On Wednesday morning, 10/20/21, Legacy threw off her lines from her wall-tie at Riverwalk Landing Marina in Yorktown, VA, at 7:30 am, cruising through calm, smooth waters, and beneath a spectacular sunrise. This day’s journey was bound for Atlantic Yacht Basin (AYB) Marina, located on the Elizabeth River, south of Chesapeake City, VA, where we would spend a few days having our starboard engine’s exhaust water leak repaired. (Always something on a boat…) As we made today’s cruise, I sat at the helm while Steve went below into the engine room to stuff multiple, old beach towels around the engine exhaust to soak up any seepage while we were underway.

As we left the York River and re-entered the Chesapeake Bay, we headed southeastward, passing Seaford, Yorkville, and Poquoson, VA, to our starboard, as well as the mouths of both the Poquoson and Northwest Branch Back Rivers, where each of them empty into the Bay. Our cruising waves were less than 1-foot high, which made for wonderful conditions. The serene waters we so often traverse are all thanks to my excellent weather-planning captain!

This time from the north to south, we once again passed the historic Fort Monroe National Monument, outside of Hampton, VA. Leaving the Chesapeake Bay and entering the Elizabeth River, passing east of Hampton, the exact same time as we passed west of Norfolk, VA, and the massive Norfolk International Terminals. Again, we cruised OVER the I-64 Hampton Roads Tunnel Bridge. It felt so novel and surreal to be floating along, and knowing there were actually cars passing 50 to 60 feet beneath us, through a tunnel under the water! 😐

Traveling down the impressive Elizabeth River, we once again cruised right through downtown Norfolk, VA, only this time from the opposite direction. While last time’s weather was cloudy and dreary, this time’s weather was absolutely stellar, enabling me to capture many more, much nicer, pictures of this very pretty area.

Around 2:30 pm, we arrived at Atlantic Yacht Basin, and were joined by one of the marina owners, who climbed onboard Legacy with us to personally show Steve the exact route we needed to take to get Legacy around back to her covered, super-protected slip where she would reside during our stay at AYB. We followed some lush, narrow channels off of the river itself, around to the back side of the marina, to one of the most private, peaceful, and quiet slips of this entire journey. As always, the serenity and isolation of that slip came with a price. Because the slip was covered, our satellite antenna was rendered useless, and because of our location, our WIFI signal and cell services were weak, at best, our entire stay. But you’ve got to take the bad with the good.

That evening, we walked about a mile north of the marina to a well-reviewed Italian restaurant on VA Hwy. 168 (aka South Battlefield Boulevard), called Vino’s Italian + Bistro, where we were treated to one of the most enjoyable dinners of our entire journey. The food was delicious, while the ambiance and service were also superb. To top off the meal, we ordered a giant, luscious piece of tiramisu to carry back to the boat with us for later that night. 🙂 YUM!

Atlantic Yacht Basin                                                                                        

Position: N 36° 43.137, W 76° 14.064

Distance traveled:  53 SM

Total distance traveled: 5118 SM

Total marina nights: 380

Total nights at anchor: 23

Locks today: 1

Locks Total:  29

Day 401 – 404

I awoke on Saturday morning with my bronchitis still lingering, so I spent a large portion of that day visiting a Yorktown urgent care (naturally…), then a Walgreen’s for more meds, then back to the marina via Uber rides. 🙁 By the time I got back onboard Legacy, I was exhausted. That afternoon at 4:30 pm, the predicted cold front came roaring through Yorktown, with very strong winds (gusts up to 45 mph!) and a deluge of cold rain. 😐 Even though the harbor master had moved us to the inside of the marina’s transient wall, Riverwalk Landing Marina sits right on the York River, where it meets the Chesapeake Bay, so it is not at all protected. As a result, our poor boat absolutely rocked, rolled, and strained at her lines for hours clear into the night. When we went to bed, it was like trying to sleep while riding a high-speed roller-coaster! Amazingly enough, however, we both awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and thankful Legacy had not pulled loose from the wall and washed out into the Bay during the night!

As when most cold fronts blow through over night, Sunday, 10/17/21, dawned perfectly clear, but still windy and chilly. Legacy continued her rocking and rolling, but to a slightly lesser degree than the night before. My new medications seemed to be helping to quiet my cough some and I felt better, though still tired. We both stayed onboard until early afternoon, when we donned wind-breakers and walked against the wind to Yorktown Pub, which was beachfront, for an early dinner. Sadly, it was way too cool and blustery to dine outside on the water, but the food and service inside were terrific.

On Monday morning, I Ubered to the closest Great Clips for a much-needed haircut. Before I returned to the marina, I walked next door to Food Lion for a few staples, then Ubered back from there. Everything went perfectly that day, and without a single hitch, which was unusual, refreshing, and did a lot to lift my spirits. 🙂 That evening we walked back to Water Street Grille for dinner, as it was one of the only restaurants within walking distance that was open on a Monday. I thoroughly enjoyed a delicious Burrata cheese with watermelon salad accompanied by grilled salmon. YUM!

On Tuesday, 10/19/21, we had a total surprise visit from our old sailing friends we knew at Seabrook Marina, down on Galveston Bay, when we lived in Houston, and had our beloved sailboat, Farther Stars, slipped there during the last half of the 2000s. 🙂 Carol and James Rush and Bill and Shelley Kessinger cruised their dinghies south across the York River from their current marina in Gloucester Point, down to our marina in Yorktown, after Carol spotted Legacy’s current location on their Nebo app. SO COOL! We all stood around on our dock finger talking for several hours, reminiscing, and telling boat stories. Such a very nice surprise for us, as we’d not seen each other for years!

There’s lots of interesting water traffic on the York River. We watched all sorts of vessels cruise by us from our vantage point at Riverwalk Landing Marina. At one point, we watched the local “pirate” sailboat (a nicely restored schooner) take tourists out on some VERY rough waters, so rough, they dropped their sails very soon into the cruise and only motored around, for the comfort and safety of their passengers. Steve and I were very surprised the boat went out at all in those conditions, but it did! We guessed they most likely were scrubbing a lot of tourist vomit from their decks that day! 🙂 The boat’s attempt to offload its passengers onto a very bouncy, floating dock-finger from an even bouncier boat plank was definitely fodder for a YouTube video, and had we been closer, I would’ve attempted a video of that accident just waiting to happen. Miraculously, and most fortuitous for the boat’s crew and passengers, everyone managed to disembark without incident – WHEW! Later that afternoon, we watched in awe as three large and loud LCAC (land craft air cushion) Navy Seal hovercrafts zoomed right past our boat as they traversed the York River! That was our very first time to ever see anything like those vessels, and the way they hovered just above the surface of the water as they sped along was surreal, and looked like something off of The Jetsons, had that cartoon been bent toward the military. 😉

That evening we returned to Yorktown Pub for our early dinner, even though it was still too cool to dine al fresco. Luckily, the hostess seated us near a window, so we could at least SEE the water, if not eat right outside next to it.

Position: N 37° 14.328, W 76° 30.417

Total marina nights: 380

Total nights at anchor: 23

Day 400

We left our T-dock at Somers Cove Marina in Crisfield, MD, at 7:30 am on Friday morning, 10/15/21. The weather was calm and our cruising waters were perfectly still – like glass – in the Tangier Sound as we headed back out into the Chesapeake Bay. Earlier that morning we experienced a beautiful sunrise through wisps of fog, which Steve had originally feared would delay our departure, but did not. As he manned the helm southward, Steve mentioned he was glad to be leaving Crisfield, as he’d found the whole area to be depressing, but I didn’t feel it was so terrible. It was true that I didn’t think I’d ever want to retire in Crisfield, but it was mainly the lousy weather we experienced most of our time there that put a damper on things.

Slowly cruising along, we passed Smith Island on our starboard and Cedar Island State Wildlife Refuge to port. We both exclaimed multiple times that this day’s waters were probably the absolute calmest we’d ever cruised. Just Heavenly! However, while super-calm conditions make for comfortable cruising, they also make extremely boring cruising, especially when you’re far out in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay with NO land or any other boats in sight for hours at a time.

We moved straight down the center of the Chesapeake and passed Deltaville and Exmore, VA, followed by Mathews and Eastville, VA. We then turned to starboard to cross diagonally back across the bay, from the eastern shore to the western shore toward today’s destination of Yorktown, VA. Our entire journey south this time has seen us zig-zagging the Chesapeake Bay. We passed Port Haywood, VA, to starboard as we passed Cape Charles, VA to port.

Eventually we arrived at the New Point Comfort Lighthouse on our starboard, where Mobjack Bay meets the Chesapeake Bay. We crossed Mobjack Bay on our way to the mouth of the York River, where we turned starboard to head up the river to our marina in Yorktown, VA. We passed yet more idle container ships and freighters at this point on the bay, anchored indefinitely, since they were unable to come into port for offload, thanks to the times and our current administration. What a mess! 🙁

The York River is large and wide at its mouth, like most rivers that spill into the Chesapeake Bay. In fact, the area was so expansive, it reminded me of Kentucky Lake. As we neared our destination, we realized the weather had really heated it up into the afternoon, with highs in the low 80s, to which we weren’t accustomed, but we enjoyed!

Legacy arrived at Riverwalk Landing Marina, in Yorktown, VA, around 2:30 pm that afternoon, to calm, perfect docking conditions. As instructed, we tied-up to starboard to an outside transient wall. Sadly, Steve discovered a leak in the exhaust on Legacy’s starboard engine – UGH! He called Wayne, at Zimmerman Marine, to please drive down and look at the problem on Monday, with hopes of an easy resolution, but we didn’t hold our breaths, as Legacy is a BOAT, after all…

Once secured and showered, we walked right across from our marina into historic downtown Yorktown and enjoyed an early dinner at Water Street Grille, right on the Yorktown River. Walking back to our boat at sunset was lovely. Since strong weather was due to hit the area later that night and into the weekend, our harbor master graciously offered to let us move Legacy’s tie-up to the inside of the transient wall, from the outside, so she’d be a little better protected when the waters got rough. Thanks, Riverwalk Landing Marina harbor master!

Position: N 37° 14.328, W 76° 30.417

Distance traveled:  72 SM

Total distance traveled: 5066 SM

Total marina nights: 376

Total nights at anchor: 23

Locks today: 0

Locks Total:  28

Day 398 – 399

On Wednesday morning, 10/13/21, we awoke to gloomy weather in Crisfield, MD, with rain threatening on and off. Mid-morning the skies turned partly cloudy, which lifted our spirits for a few hours, before the skies clouded back up again. Still, we wanted to explore our new surroundings, so we rented a golf cart from the marina for four hours, then drove it all around the underwhelming town. I’m sure it was partly due to the bad weather, but Crisfield was the first Maryland town we’d visited that we were less than impressed with. We stopped at Fisherman’s Grille for lunch and beverages on the water, where we sat outside on the deck and watched sun-rays peeking out from behind the clouds and sparkling down onto the Chesapeake Bay. After lunch, Steve surprised me by driving our golf cart over to nearby JohnnySweets, where we bought two huge chocolate peanut butter shakes for dessert. 🙂 Not at all healthy, but certainly delicious! We continued driving around town while we enjoyed our sweet treats, trying not to be run down by Crisfield’s passing motorists! 😐

The annual Tawes Crab and Clam Bake just happened to be taking place at our marina on Wednesday evening. Supposedly 3,000 tickets had been sold for this event, and not all participants were able to get food. This Bake is a big fund-raiser for the town of Crisfield, which wasn’t held in 2020 because of Covid. Fans were out in droves this year, but we didn’t purchase tickets, which were $60 each, since by this time I had tired of eating so much seafood and they weren’t serving anything besides crabs and clams. Steve said that was too much money to pay if I wasn’t even going to eat, with which I agreed, so we watched the festivities from the sidelines.

Thursday morning, 10/14/21, the weather stayed gloomy and a bit chilly, as we walked over to board the Steven Thomas Ferry for our scheduled day trip over to Tangier Island, VA. At first we’d thought we were making the trip by ourselves with only the crew for company, but slowly our group began to increase, until there was quite a crowd of us tourists. We were both grateful we’d carried our jackets with us, as even though the sun appeared periodically, it was COLD riding across that water. Tangier Island, VA, is located 13 miles from the Maryland mainland, so our trip over took about an hour and fifteen minutes, where we passed the tiny island of Port Isabel before reaching our final destination.

Tangier Island, VA, is a small island of 900 acres (though only 83 of those acres are suitable for habitation) with a long history of watermen, who fish and crab the Chesapeake Bay. At one point, the island had as many as 1500 residents, but it has since dwindled to about 400. Tangier Island is only accessible by boat, helicopter, or small plane. The island is self-sufficient, but does receive mail and package deliveries from the mainland once a day, six days a week. Some of the island’s first Anglo-American settlers, the Thomas family, has run the ferries to and from Tangier Island for generations. Other original settlers arrived in 1770.

After a satisfying lunch at Lorraine’s Seafood, one of two operating restaurants on the island, several of us employed a young Tangier native to drive us around on a short golf cart ride for a brief tour of the island and description of its history. He told us he had just turned 18 years old and the golf-cart tours were one of his ways to earn money, since he never leaves the island. He spoke with the thick, Tangierman accent, for which the islanders are famous. The accent is described to be a combination of Old English and southern U.S., and stays intact because the closest-knit islanders rarely visit the mainland, and only have each other for company, which keeps the accent alive. As the young man spoke, those of us on his tour had to really strain to understand what he was saying. For example, when he said the word “tide”, he pronounced it as two syllables that sounded like “taw-WEED”. The word “side” is pronounced as “saw-WEED”, and the word “time” is pronounced as “taw-WEEM”. At first I thought this young man must be embellishing, until I heard other islanders using the exact same brogue. Very strange, indeed!

We learned that John Smith discovered Tangier Island in 1608, when it was already inhabited by the Pocomoke Indians. The very first permanent Anglo-American settlers were the Crockett family, who harvested and sold soft-shell crabs for a living. In fact, still today – hundreds of years later – crabbing, oystering, and some light tourism sustain the Tangier Islanders. After our short but interesting golf cart tour, we walked through a very small town, visiting the island’s museum and several shops, where Steve actually bought himself a t-shirt, which rarely happens. Score for Tangier Island!

Position: N 37° 58.631, W 75° 51.386

Total marina nights: 375

Total nights at anchor: 23

Locks today: 0

Locks Total:  28

Day 397

On Tuesday, 10/12/21, Legacy threw off her lines from Zahnizer’s Marina on Solomon’s Island, MD, bound for Somers Cove Marina, in Crisfield, MD. A shorter travel day in store, we didn’t leave until 9:30 am, heading down the Patuxent River back out into the Chesapeake Bay. Cruising weather conditions were cloudy, with the sun trying to peak through, calm waters, some humidity, and temperatures in the high 60s. I was dressed in long pants, but really didn’t need them.

We passed Fishing Creek, Hoopersville, and Bloodworth Island, MD, to our port, as we cruised southeast across the bay, while St. Mary’s City, MD, was to our starboard. Today’s route had us cruising on the far side of islands in the bay, which would protect us from the unsettling waters in the mouth of the Potomac River this time, which was just fine with me! As I mentioned earlier in this blog, the Potomac River is gigantic and turbulent, which really stirs things up at its confluence with the Chesapeake Bay.

Although our cruise was uneventful, the sun never did appear from behind the clouds, and the winds began blowing enough for me to don a light jacket, while riding up in the flybridge. We passed by Tangier Island and Smith Island, MD, to our starboard, with Fairmount, Marion Station, and Hopewell, MD, to our port, just before reaching the tiny coastal town of Crisfield, MD.

We arrived at Somers Cove Marina in Crisfield, MD, at 2:15 pm in the RAIN – UGH! As instructed, we tied-up to port on a T-dock, right behind another boat, and I got inside out of the rain as soon as I could! Showers threatened around us all that afternoon and evening, but were thankfully predicted to clear by tomorrow, when we planned to ride the ferry over for a tour of famous Tangier Island.

Position: N 37° 58.631, W 75° 51.386

Distance traveled:  48 SM

Total distance traveled: 4994 SM

Total marina nights: 375

Total nights at anchor: 23

Locks today: 0

Locks Total:  28