Day 7 Chesapeake to Nova Scotia - Shelburne

These Blog entries are edited versions of the messages we sent back as we completed the passage. They were sent by radio using a laptop that controls a modem and the HF/SSB radio, using the SailMail system. We sent the messages daily to Charlotte and she then forwarded them on to a list of family members.

2100hrs (AST, GMT-4) 28 Jul 2018

Dear All,

Another day but the same foggy view from the cockpit!

Fog remained the theme for most of today with 50 metres visibility overnight and the odd patch up to about 200 metres during the day.  Our progress was also pretty slow at times with lighter winds pushing us along at 5 knots or less.  However, each time we considered switching the engine on a little more wind came and with the resulting 5 1/2 knots speed the timings looked more comfortable. What we didn't want to do was a night approach into Shelburne in 50 metres of visibility.  From the chart it seems to be well marked, with red lateral buoys showing the channel all the way in.  But Nicky has read that official Canadian marker buoys tend to be very small, somewhat reminiscent of pot-bobbers; keeping an eye out for markers that size so we don't run them down in fog at night would not be fun!

Shortly after dawn, the wind dropped away further so we switched on the engine and, with that, ran the radar and the foghorn full time.  By this time the sea temperature was down at about 10 degrees Celcius, and the air temperature at 15, so, in the fog, deck watches required oilskin jackets and warm hats, except for those tantalising times when the sun tried to break through. We passed our first turning point, about 10nm off Cape Sable, the southern tip of Nova Scotia, at about 1030hrs and then turned onto a northeasterly track for the final 25nm or so towards the entrance to Shelburne.  It was all generally uneventful, except for the odd pop-up fishing boat - with poor radar cross-section and relatively few with AIS they can make life rather too interesting at times!

Mid-afternoon we set ourselves up for a 50-100 metre visibility approach for the final hour transit up to Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club where we needed to meet/call the Customs and Immigration officers to formally arrive into Canada.  Out at sea that sort of visibility is less of an issue but coming into port there are all sorts of things (like rocks!) to bump into, and so we were very pleased when suddenly the fog lifted, and we got or first glimpse of Canada - pine trees, rocky shores, "aquaculture" (term cribbed from Canadian friends) cages and remarkably flat hinterland.

We motored up to the Yacht Club marina and Nicky went ashore to call the Canadian Border authorities.  Happily, an American yacht had arrived earlier in the day and was now blocking the fuel pontoon awaiting Customs and Borders inspection, so it was likely that we would be "done" at the same time, and so it transpired.

Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club

The officers were efficient, friendly and very quick and, happily, failed to notice (or take offence about) the fact that we did not have a Canadian courtesy ensign.  They stamped our passports (essential for enabling us to get another up to 6mth stay in the US on our return there) and issued us a chit with an official arrival number on it "to be displayed in a window on the landward side wherever you are - particularly in Halifax where there are lots of customs agents checking visiting boats".

Formally "arrived", Nicky called the OCC Port Officers for Shelburne, with whom she had been emailing prior to our arrival.  Mike was in the Yacht Club and came down to BV for a beer and has invited us to theirs for dinner tomorrow, post a concert at the local arts centre, and has also offered to take us out to some good food shops in the morning.  Fabulous!  So, we have moved from the pontoon to a mooring and will go to anchor tomorrow probably but now we are catching up with the world and fending off some of the largest mosquitoes we have seen in a while!  Oh, and we're now an hour closer to the UK too!

Love to all,

Reg and Nicky

Passage statistics:
Position at midday 28 Jul: N43 23 W65 25
Position at 1600 28 Jul: N43 46 W65 19
Midday to midday distance: 150 nautical miles
Midnight to 1600hrs distance: 101 nautical miles
Total miles covered:  724 nautical miles
Approximate distance to go: Zero nautical miles to Shelburne...hurrah!

End of Day 7  Chesapeake to Nova Scotia, Shelburne

Day 6 Chesapeake to Nova Scotia

These Blog entries are edited versions of the messages we sent back as we completed the passage. They were sent by radio using a laptop that controls a modem and the HF/SSB radio, using the SailMail system. We sent the messages daily to Charlotte and she then forwarded them on to a list of family members.

2359hrs (AST, GMT-4) 27 Jul 2018

Dear All,

From one o'clock this morning we had our first taste of the thick fog for which this part of the world is famous. The visibility dropped rapidly to around 50 metres and stayed that way for the rest of the night.

The best visibility we got all day

Even when the sun got up, the best we had was 150 metre visibility.  As the sun got lower it dropped again to 50 metres and I suspect it will stay that way until morning and probably throughout tomorrow as well.  Entering Shelburne will be  fun game in minimum visibility!

As well as the reduced visibility, the wind also dropped off; more so than we had expected from the forecast. As a result we spent the morning from about 0400 making little more than 5 knots.  The slow speed helped in that we weren't rushing along blindy, but it did mean that there was less pressure on the sails and so we tended roll a bit with the sails slatting noisily as the waves went under us.  Not great for getting quality sleep off watch.

Additionally, the slow speed meant that the DuoGen wasn't generating enough power to run the radar full time. Large ships are relatively easy to deal with because of their AIS transmissions, which are compulsory for vessels over 300grt; these show up on our chart plotter all the time and we generally pick hem up at >20 miles.  However, to see smaller craft which don't have AIS, and the particular risk is fishing vessels out here, we have been running a few sweeps of our radar every 10 minutes [Nicky did have to run a more detailed radar plot on one 18kt vessel during her day watch].  By night that meant that we were slowly discharging the batteries but when the sun came up, even though it didn't burn off the fog, there was enough light for the solar panels to add power to the system and so top up the batteries ready for the next foggy night.  [We also charge the batteries when we run the generator to make fresh and hot water]. Happily, now that we are in deeper water, albeit only about 150m deep, the lobster pot markers are few and far between but doubtless the numbers will pick up as we close the coast of Nova Scotia, which could make for an interesting game of blind slalom.

We are fortunate with our timing for this passage.  Right now the moon is full and the nights are very light as a consequence.  Also, at the moment, the moon rises at or before sunset and then sets again just before sunrise moonset, so there is no time when we don't have a decent amount of natural light, whether sunlight or moonlight. It's not exactly in the league of the land of the midnight sun but it still makes life so much easier than sailing through a pitch black night.  It also means that we can see the dolphins which are periodically visiting to play in our bow wave.

Whilst it's not the fastest passage we've ever made, the miles are ticking down and so, if all goes well, we should get our fist sighting of Canada tomorrow, or perhaps we'll just continue to see the inside of a fog bank!

Love to all,

Reg and Nicky 

Passage statistics:
Position at midday 27 Jul: N42 34 W68 23
Position at 2359 27 Jul: N42 57 W66 52
Midday to midday distance: n/a nautical miles
Midnight to midnight distance: 144 nautical miles
Total miles covered:  623 nautical miles
Approximate distance to go: 92 nautical miles to Shelburne

End of Day 6  Chesapeake to Nova Scotia

Day 5 Chesapeake to Nova Scotia

These Blog entries are edited versions of the messages we sent back as we completed the passage. They were sent by radio using a laptop that controls a modem and the HF/SSB radio, using the SailMail system. We sent the messages daily to Charlotte and she then forwarded them on to a list of family members.

2359hrs (AST, GMT-4) 26 Jul 2018

Dear All,

We are sailing again.  The wind has been pretty strong outside of Cape Cod and so, to give it a little more time to reduce, we decided to take the later tide gate through the Cape Cod Canal.  That gave us a bit more sleep this morning and an admin day at anchor in Onset Bay.  There have even been some more blog entries posted!  Probably much more important, Nicky telephoned the Border authorities and let them know that we would be leaving US waters.

Leaving Onset Bay

We eventually raised our anchor at 1530hrs (it was really well dug in after the strong winds last night) and made our way into the Cape Cod Canal.

The only potential obstruction for us was the railway lifting bridge but that spends most of its time up, only being lowered when a train is expected (once or twice a day).

We passed underneath it and made excellent progress with the help of 2-3 knots of tide.

Tidal flow out of the canal as we left it going north

There are 2 other bridges over the canal that we had to pass under, both of which are fixed.   It took us just 50 minutes to transit the ~10 mile canal.  Interestingly, the seawater on the west (New York) side of the canal was 22.5 degrees Celcius whereas it was 16.5 degrees on the eastern (Maine) side (though now we have cleared Cape Cod Bay the sea temperature has gone up a bit again to 19.7 deg Celcius).  Everyone has been warning us that we will need woolly jumpers for Maine and Nova Scotia and if the change in sea temperature is anything to go by, they are not wrong!

Heading for Race Point

After passing through the canal we continued NNE for 22 miles to clear Race Point, the furthest north bit of Cape Cod. That was all downwind with the sails goose-winged.

At sunset as we passed Race Point we gybed and hardened onto a beamy broad reach, aiming for a point a bit south of Cape Sable (the southernmost tip of Nova Scotia).  The timing worked out well because we could set up the sails up for the night passage whilst both of us were up. It's about 200nm from our current position to our waypoint off Cape Sable and once we're there we'll turn left a bit for another 30nm or so to get to Shelburne. We are expecting some stronger winds tonight, perhaps into tomorrow, but then they should ease off for the rest of the passage. Maybe even getting too light; we'll keep you posted.

Love to all,

Reg and Nicky

Passage statistics:
Position at midday 26 Jul: N41 44 W70 39 (At anchor in Onset Bay, Cape Cod)
Position at 2359 26 Jul: N42 12 W69 52
Midday to midday distance: n/a nautical miles
Midnight to midnight distance: n/a nautical miles
Total miles covered:  478 nautical miles
Approximate distance to go: 230 nautical miles to Shelburne

End of Day 5  Chesapeake to Nova Scotia

Day 4 Chesapeake to Nova Scotia

These Blog entries are edited versions of the messages we sent back as we completed the passage. They were sent by radio using a laptop that controls a modem and the HF/SSB radio, using the SailMail system. We sent the messages daily to Charlotte and she then forwarded them on to a list of family members.

1800hrs (AST, GMT-4) 25 Jul 2018

Dear All,

Approaching the Cape Cod Canal with its distinctive lifting railway bridge

Just a short update today.  We left the Great Salt Pond at Block Island this morning at 0830 and set sail towards the Cape Cod Canal.

We turned off left into the narrow channel into Onset Bay

Onset Bay

The passage was just 59 miles and, with the wind mostly on the beam, we made good time dropping anchor at 1715hrs in Onset Bay, just by the entrance to the canal.

The tide can run at up to 4.6 knots through the canal and so it's worth timing your passage through it carefully. You want the tide helping you through but, perhaps, not at it's peak flow because the canal is only 150 yards wide. We are aiming to start the transit tomorrow morning at around 0800, when we should have about 3 knots helping us on our way.

Home made pizzas for dinner; easier to make at anchor than on passage!

So after an 8hr 40 mins day sail today, we get another night's sleep at anchor before going back into our watch system tomorrow for the last 290nm passage to get us to Shelburne.

Love to all,

Reg and Nicky

Passage statistics:
Position at midday 25 Jul: N41 21 W71 14
Position at 1715 25 Jul: N41 44 W70 39
Midday to midday distance: n/a nautical miles
Midnight to midnight distance: n/a nautical miles
Total miles covered:  427 nautical miles
Approximate distance to go: 290 nautical miles to Shelburne

End of Day 4  Chesapeake to Nova Scotia, Onset Bay, MA

Day 3 Chesapeake to Nova Scotia - Block Island

These Blog entries are edited versions of the messages we sent back as we completed the passage. They were sent by radio using a laptop that controls a modem and the HF/SSB radio, using the SailMail system. We sent the messages daily to Charlotte and she then forwarded them on to a list of family members.

2000hrs (AST, GMT-4) 24 Jul 2018

Dear All,

Dawn on 24 July

So, the passage from Chesapeake Bay direct to Shelburne in Nova Scotia has taken a detour for all the reasons we explained in the last update.  We are now in the large anchorage in the centre of Block Island, just east of Long Island.  We had great sailing conditions today with blue skies, a steady wind (of indeterminate strength due to our lack of wind instruments but we think about 15kt!) and BV romped along.  So much so, that our midday to midday run was 169 nautical miles, not a bad run in a heavy cruising boat.

Approaching Block Island, going through the narrow entrance channel (bottom)

We dropped anchor in the Great Salt Pond (aka New Harbour) at 1710hrs after 2 days and 8 hours at sea.

Great views over the anchorage from the masthead

As soon as we could Nicky winched me up the mast to see how bad the story was concerning the anemometer.  I got some great views over the anchorage…

… but, of course I also had a job to do up there seeing what was wrong with the anemometer.   Amazingly, it was still there at a cocked angle.  Amazingly, because I pulled on it gently with 2 fingers and it came off!

New (Right) alongside old with the broken collar

The securing collar had broken and it had become unplugged sitting upside down.  When I plugged it back in we had wind indications again.  That was good news because I had expected to have to replace the masthead socket and run new cabling down the inside of the mast - sometimes easy and sometimes a pig of a job.  Instead, Nicky hoisted me back up to the top of the mast so that I could fit the spare anemometer we have on board.  Problem solved!  Even better, because we hadn't lost the other one overboard, with the application of lots of epoxy we now have a spare anemometer again.

We'll stay here tonight and then, in the morning, head up to the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal.  That has to be run with a favourable tide direction and so we expect to have to wait overnight for the right timing to go through the canal.  Once through, we can then head on towards Nova Scotia.  We'll keep you posted on our progress.

Love to all,

Reg and Nicky 

Passage statistics:
Position at midday 24 Jul: N40 52 W71 53
Position at 1710 24 Jul: N41 11 W71 35
Midday to midday distance: 169 nautical miles
Midnight to 1710hrs distance: 114 nautical miles
Total miles covered:  368 nautical miles
Approximate distance to go: 349 nautical miles to Shelburne

End of Day 3  Chesapeake to Nova Scotia,  Block Island

Day 2 Chesapeake to Nova Scotia

These Blog entries are edited versions of the messages we sent back as we completed the passage. They were sent by radio using a laptop that controls a modem and the HF/SSB radio, using the SailMail system. We sent the messages daily to Charlotte and she then forwarded them on to a list of family members.

2359 (AST, GMT-4) 23 Jul 2018

Dear All,

Well, I have to say that I found last night to be quite hard work.  We were hit by a series of squalls and so there was lots of rain and several sail changes.  Nicky, being a stronger bad weather sailor than me, took it all in her stride, but I found the mixture of torrential rain, the odd bit of lightning, and gusts up to 30 knots a pain to deal with. In general, the wind was not that strong but the sea is shallow here and so we had lots of short gaps between the waves and BV was being bounced about.  During one of the sail changes I fell across the cockpit and landed heavily on the side of my ribcage.  I think that I have just bruised the area but I'm still moving around fairly gingerly.

The additional drama came at 0645 this morning when we were hit by another strong squall.  I asleep was off watch and didn't hear anything, but the wind was strong enough to damage the wind indicator at the top of the mast. The whole unit is now hanging off on its cable, so we no longer have any electric wind direction or wind strength indications on the instrument displays.

We had been planning to go outside both the Nantucket Shoals and the George Bank, which adds a surprising amount onto the most direct routing from Chesapeake Bay to Nova Scotia.  But both sets of shoals are incredibly shallow, in places dangerously so, with soundings of only 3-5m 100nm from the nearest land! So, discretion being the better part of valour, we had been aiming for a waypoint that would keep us well clear of the reefs.  As a result, the distance we intended to travel offshore would have been very similar to the distance we could have travelled had we planned to route from the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay to Block Island, the Cape Cod canal and then to Nova Scotia from inside Nantucket/Cape Cod.

It had been a sound plan but with me now moving around very carefully and an expensive wind indicator dangling 'on a string' we have decided to divert.  However, that's not an issue, passage plans are there to be changed which is why you always write towards you destination in the log rather than to it. We are now heading towards Block Island and Newport which we should get to some time tomorrow or on Wednesday morning, weather depending.  I'm in no state to go up the mast whilst we are at sea and so hopefully Block Island and/or Newport will provide good shelter to allow that to happen.  Newport's also a huge sailing centre, so if we need to get any parts to add to the spares we have on board, then we'll be in a good location to get them.

Aside from all of that, the weather has settled down nicely today with mostly clear blue skies and just the odd towering cumulus bubbling up, we think over the Gulf Stream which is out to the east of us.  Sailing into deeper water has also lengthened the sea making BV's motion much more comfortable.

We have been joined by dolphins several times today and, miraculously, my big camera has fixed itself and the mode selection dial is working properly again.  A good day at sea!

Love to all,

Reg and Nicky

Passage statistics:
Position at midday 23 Jul: N38 27 W73 30
Position at 2359 23 Jul: N39 41 W72 41
Midday to midday distance: 153 nautical miles
Midnight to Midnight distance: 154 nautical miles
Total miles covered:  254 nautical miles
Approximate distance to go: 97 nautical miles to Block Island (+30nm to get to Newport)

End of Day 2  Chesapeake to Nova Scotia

Day 1 Chesapeake to Nova Scotia

These Blog entries are edited versions of the messages we sent back as we completed the passage. They were sent by radio using a laptop that controls a modem and the HF/SSB radio, using the SailMail system. We sent the messages daily to Charlotte and she then forwarded them on to a list of family members.

2359 (AST, GMT-4) 22 Jul 2018

Dear All,

So, we're off again.  After rather longer than we had anticipated in the Chesapeake, and primarily in and around Deltaville VA, due to the problem we had with our engine injectors, we are now heading north and hoping to make up some of the lost time.  We've decided to route direct to Shelburne in Nova Scotia, a town that several people have recommended for the ease of checking in with the Customs and Border agency and for its general attractiveness and useful services.  As a bit of a last minute thought, Nicky emailed the OCC (Ocean Cruising Club) Port Officers in the town yesterday evening and they replied almost by return offering to show us around when we arrive, drive us to a nearby town where buying provisions is better and help out generally.  They also passed on some handy information about the port itself, such as warning us about aquaculture areas in the approaches to the town - information that will be particularly helpful should we arrive at night.  Once again, the OCC Port Reps are acting above and beyond - we had emailed inviting them for a drink on board when we have arrived not expecting to have such an extensive offer of help.

Passing under the eastern bridge on the Chesapeake Bridge/Tunnel

But that's for a few days hence. Today we set off from Cape Charles Town Harbour, which is about 9nm from the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay on the eastern side.  With the wind from the southeast we made best use of the tide and motored all the way to the Bridge/Tunnel where we crossed under the eastern-most bridge. Interestingly, there are none of the usual buoys or marker boards on the bridge showing the centre of the highest span, so we took a best guess (not that difficult) and made it through OK. However, the vertical clearance on the bridge is only 75ft (at high water) and BV's air draft is about 65ft so it's a lot closer than most of the bridges we have done.  Unfortunately, Reg's camera chose that moment to stop working properly so whether we have any decent pictures of our departure from the Bay we don't know yet.

Not sure that our Praying Mantis stowaway is going to enjoy the passage!

After that we had a rather lumpy motoring bash into some good stopping waves (wind against tide in the shallows outside the Bay - not fun), which upset Reg's internal gyros and didn't do much for mine either.

Happily, that final motoring bash was over in under an hour and we soon raced off with 2 reefs in the main and similar in the genoa in about 15kts of SE wind, heading ENE for a point well east of the Nantucket Shoals.  More about that and the hazards we are trying to avoid in the next update.

And so, that's about it for now. BV's now trogging on nicely at 6.5-7kt through the water, a little bit more over the ground, and, so far, we have dodged all the ships that have been pointing directly at us.  I'll call Reg for his watch in a few minutes - hopefully his gyros will have reset whilst he was asleep - and he will send this once we've passed midnight and we have all the figures to report (should you be interested).

And finally, here's another big thank you to Charlotte for running the email communications for us and for making sure that this gets to all your inboxes.  Assuming everything keeps working well at our end, and depending on Charlotte's workload, you should get these daily updates every day or so for the next, about, 5 days.

Love to all,

Reg and Nicky

Passage statistics:

Position at midday 22 Jul: N37 06 W75 52

Position at 2359 22 Jul: N37 48 W74 20

Midday to midday distance: n/a nautical miles

Midnight to Midnight distance: n/a nautical miles

Total miles covered:  100 nautical miles

Approximate distance to go: 575 nautical miles

End of Day 1  Chesapeake to Nova Scotia

Cape Charles Harbour VA USA

East River

We motored out of East River in Mobjack Bay on 19 July as the first part of our passage to Cape Charles Harbour. The engine has been behaving itself since we left the boatyard and so we now feel that we can plan on leaving Chesapeake Bay and continuing our adventure heading up the Eastern Seaboard. Because of the delays we are a bit behind where we wanted to be and so we are expecting to leave Chesapeake Bay and try to sail to Nova Scotia in one passage.

Civil War heroine Sally Tomkins’ birthplace (bottom). “Capt Sally” founded a military hospital that saved the lives of a remarkable 95% of its patients and she was the only woman commissioned as an officer in the Confederate Army

But the weather is not suitable for that yet, which is why we are initially aiming towards Cape Charles Harbour on the eastern side of Chesapeake Bay.  First though, we just enjoyed looking at the pretty scenery and lovely houses in East River.

Approaching Cape Charles Harbour through the dredged channel

The sail across Chesapeake Bay was actually a 25nm 4 hour motor directly into wind as a last test run of the engine. We were working on the plan that if anything didn’t seem quite right we could return to Deltaville and let Mack have another look at it.

BV (far right) moored in Cape Charles Harbour Marina

All went well though, and by 1400hrs we were tied up in the harbour ready to explore ashore.

The rails (L) ran up a ramp allowing the trains and full carriages to be loaded onto the special barges
for the trip across Chesapeake Bay

The eastern shore of Virginia was one of the earliest colonised areas in North America.  When the Bay Coast Railway was built, Cape Charles was transformed from an agricultural community into a bustling railroad town. The trains started running in October 1884 and within 6 months, 2 passenger paddle steamers and several specially designed railway freight barges were running regularly across the 36 miles of Chesapeake Bay.  The town flourished and quickly became the economic focal point of Northampton County.

With the advent of cars, at the town’s peak in the early 1900s, 300 cars a day were transported across the bay from Cape Charles Harbour.  However, in the 1950s the car ferry was moved to Kiptopeke and, with the decline in the railway industry, the increase in trucking, and the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in 1964, Cape Charles slipped rapidly into economic decline.

The Cape Charles Distillery and a zany mermaid sculpture

Ah, now we understand the love of pick-up trucks
here – they are for transporting Laser sailing dinghies!

Today the town is in something of a resurgence due to tourism.  It has a lovely sandy beach and an unspoilt coastline with opportunities for birdwatching, wildlife observation, hiking, biking, horseback riding, fishing, kayaking, boating and canoeing.

It has become a popular holiday seaside town with several boutique shops on the main avenue and it has also been hit by the latest USA trend in microbreweries.  There is one on the outskirts of the town and on Peach Street there is the newly opened Cape Charles Distillery.  We had a quick look in but arrived just behind a large party of visitors.  They were keeping the staff busy and so we moved on to look at the other shops and the residential area.

There is a good hardware store, a nice gourmet food and wine shop, a very small (disappointing) grocery store and an ice cream parlour voted by Trip Advisor as one of the Top 10 best in the USA. Now that was not to be missed! The ice cream is all made on site and the flavours available change daily or more frequently; I suppose it depends on how sales go.  They even have a flavour of the hour.  We sampled a couple and then continued our explorations armed with 2 excellent but rapidly melting large ice cream cones.

Our ice creams lasted long enough for us to wander to the small fishing pier and alongside the sand dunes behind the beach.  With the lovely houses and one of the few public beaches with easy public access on the east Virginia shore of the Chesapeake, it is easy to see why the town is so popular.

At the northern end of the beach there is a shellfish farm and it was here that we turned back in land to make our way back to BV.  We checked out the Central Park where they have live music concerts every few weekends in summer and then cut back towards the marina on Strawberry Street.

The Cape Charles Distillery tasting – ‘A spirit journey’. 
(Bottom left pic, from L to R) Patrick, Sandy, the bartender and Bob

That brought us back past the Cape Charles Distillery which was much quieter and so we stayed to try their wares. We joined Sandy, Patrick, Linda, Bob and Natalie for a tasting session which turned out to be great fun.  The distillery produces a bourbon, a rye whisky, a wheat whisky, a maple whisky, an apple and cinnamon moonshine, and a very smooth vodka.  We sampled each in turn and whilst Bob and Patrick compared them to Jack Daniels (Bob is a self-confessed Jack Daniels connoisseur), we compared them to the Scotch whisky with which we are more familiar.

Inevitably the tasting experience got our tongues wagging and our fellow tasters proposed that we should move on to the Cape Charles microbrewery.  Bob drove us all there in his truck, which was lucky for us because it was not marked on our map and, being on the edge of the town, is further than we would have walked.

Our 2 flights of beer

Regular visitors to the microbrewery, our new friends knew exactly what to order.  For us though, with 10 different beers on offer, the decision was more challenging.  In the end we went for another tasting experience and ordered 2 flights.  Each had a small glass of 4 different beers and so we were happily able to try the majority of the beers on offer.  They were very good (and a million times better than the ubiquitous Bud Light) and we now know exactly what to order a pint of when we are next in Cape Charles.

The fun-loving characters we’d met at the distillery. (L to R) Lynne, Bob, Natalie, Nicky, me, Patrick and Sandy

Sandy and Lynne are sisters and with their husbands they had been neighbours of Natalie and her husband (not at the event) at various times in their working lives.  Now that they are retired they have moved to become neighbours again in a small village about 6 miles away from the harbour.  It was interesting to hear about their experiences and they were fascinated to hear what we were up to in our sailing adventure. We think we’ve recruited some more followers of our blog!

After a fun afternoon together, we all clambered back into Bob’s truck.  He kindly dropped us back at the marina on their way home.  So, for us, the next question was what to do about dinner. That was an easy one to answer because right beside the marina is ‘The Shanty’ restaurant recommended to us by Richie (Puff).  We followed his advice and sampled the delights of the local shrimp and oyster Po’boys as well as trying out the restaurant’s really excellent New England Clam Chowder.

On the morning of 26 July it rained torrentially, the wind blew hard and all told it was really rather unpleasant. We had intended to move down to an anchorage 6 miles further south but put off our departure waiting for an upturn in the weather.  Eventually, after lunch, we saw the beginnings of the forecasted clearance and left the marina heading south.

About 6nm south of Cape Charles town is the Kiptopeke State Park, a nature reserve on the shores of the Chesapeake. In the 1950s, with the rise in motor vehicle usage, the ferry route for carrying motor vehicles across the Chesapeake to Norfolk was moved from Cape Charles town to Kiptopeke, though the railroad ferries continued to operate from the town.  When the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel opened in the 1960s the ferry routes shut and the area was converted to a State Park.  At some point thereafter, about 9 WWII Liberty Ships were sunk and concreted in to provide a breakwater protecting the point, the fishing pier, the beaches and, of course, the anchorage.  We had been recommended the anchorage as a convenient jumping off point for leaving the Chesapeake and, with the wind forecast to come from the southeast and east, albeit rather strongly, the northern part of the anchorage looked to be a reasonable place to spend the rest of the afternoon and the night. We planned to spend the time doing final preparation for our passage to Nova Scotia, checking everything was working, packing the grab bag and cooking some meals for the first 2 nights at sea. However, as we approached the anchorage things didn’t seem quite right.  The weather had got worse not better and it was a lot windier than the morning forecast had suggested that it would be.

Nicky pulled up the latest forecast and sure enough, it had changed markedly.  The fierce-looking low pressure that had been forecast to move up the coast reasonably well offshore during the day had obviously stalled and changed direction somewhat.  Overnight the winds were now forecast to be up to 30 knots and from most directions, notably from the northwest, to which the anchorage appears to be quite open.  That didn’t sound very safe or much fun and so we ‘bravely’ turned around and returned to Cape Charles Town Harbour at a fast run under a scrap of headsail.  That proved to be a very good decision because the winds did indeed come from all directions and, despite the breakwater at the entrance, the long fetch between that and the marina pontoons made it a very lumpy harbour when the winds blew in strongly from the west.

We rigged extra mooring lines, did our cooking and other preparations, including checking that the heater works for our move north into colder climes, and generally got as much sleep as we could, ready for the following morning’s departure.

Cape Charles Harbour, VA, USA