Arrived at the C&D Canal
May 2, 2025
Last Saturday, we rented a vehicle, packed it to head to home base – we left Sunday; 9.5 hour drive. Then we were off and running; seeing friends and family, doctor appointments, vet visit, Costco run and a dinner celebration for our oldest daughter’s birthday. Brian built a framed screen for the boat’s bedroom hatch; hopefully no mosquitos or other flying insects in the bedroom. He also made toggles to hold it in place as the ones we ordered did not come in on time. Brian pulled out the old floor foot pump in the galley as it hasn’t been used in eons and made a parquet patch to blend in with the rest of the flooring. Brian also opened up our perennial garden water feature, got the pump started and we did lots of weeding and raking of leaves.
Spring has sprung in our neck of the woods; the colors are so vibrant – guess that always seems to be the case after the winter season. Spring is Lauren’s favorite time of the year.
This morning we left at 5:30 am and drove to Maryland, the Solomon Islands, where our boat is currently located. We stopped for breakfast at Vernon’s Diner in Vernon, CT. The place was spotless and the food was great! The traffic was fairly light and even when it got a bit congested, it moved right along. We saw a tractor trailer stopped on the highway with quite a few flares leading up to the truck and at least 4 state trooper vehicles. When we started passing the truck, we saw that the whole cab was totally burned; absolutely nothing left – surprised that the trailer looked unscathed. We hope the driver was not injured.
After arriving back to the Yacht club at 3:45, Brian unloaded the car and Lauren got everything put away. Was surprised there was no music playing across the anchorage at the Tikki Hut. The day before we left for home, there was a band playing grunge (?) music – it was so loud and went on for hours.
After getting the car unloaded, the first thing Brian tackled was replacing the hose on the hot water heater, so now we should never hear the fresh water pump running. We are surrounded with large yachts; haven’t yet met anyone from them. One boat next to us is a golden Looper, which means they’ve completed the Loop. Hopefully we will be able to talk to them about their trip and get some valuable tips. We are laying low for a bit before heading to the Yacht Club for pub fare. Heidi has crashed on our new area rug – guess the ride down exhausted her (she actually slept most of the way).
Brian reading: Hour Game by David Baldacci
Lauren: East of Eden by Steinbeck
May 3, 2023
Went grocery shopping for fresh produce and Brian returned rental vehicle. When he got back, we walked about a ½ mile to the Maritime Museum. It was free today – yeah! Spent quite a bit of time there. A low-key afternoon readying the boat for leaving the slip tomorrow morning. We’ll go around the corner to get fuel and a pump out, then travel to Annapolis; we will either anchor or pick up a mooring ball for just one night. Lauren prepped potatoes for home fries, cooked hard-boiled eggs and pulled fish from the freezer for fish tacos tomorrow evening. Always thinking ahead.
May 4, 2025
Left the Yacht Club Marina at 7:45 and motored over to the fuel dock. Pumped out the holding tank and put in about 200 gallons of diesel.
The skies were overcast and it was sprinkling. The water was fairly calm, but we turned on the Seakeeper just in case of inclement weather. About an hour into our trip, we were hit with a squall; “thunderbolt and lightening, very, very frighting”. Actually, we were a tad freaked out as the waves also kicked up and even with the gyroscope going, it was rough. Thankfully, it lasted only about a ½ hour; probably less, but it seemed much, much longer. Heidi got though it well, as we gave her medication with her breakfast to keep her calm – worked like a charm. Before we travel, we always check to make sure everything is secured. This time though, it was so rough we lost a full bottle of Kalua and one of Lauren’s cookbooks landed in it.; the cookbook smells great! Wasn’t disappointed about losing the Kalua (don’t even know why we had it to begin with). Lauren was thankful her Jameson and Bailey’s were unscathed, tho.
The skies stayed overcast all day and the waters calmed down for most of the trip. Once we got close to Annapolis, we could see numerous sailboats participating in a race; right in the middle of the track we were on, so we detoured quite a way around them to get to our anchorage. The anchorage was too far out in the open, so we opted to pick up a mooring ball – still a bit rolly, but it would have been worse in the anchorage.
Lauren is making fish tacos for dinner. Tomorrow will be a longer day of travel, so hopefully we will get an earlier start than usual.
May 5, 2025
Left our mooring ball in Annapolis at 6:30 and traveled 50 miles. We dropped our anchor at 2:30 in the U.S. Government Anchorage located in Delaware City just past the Augustine Herman Hwy Bridge. Just a handful of boats anchored, so plenty of room. The day was dreary, with a few sprinkles, but hardly any winds or waves to deal with, so thankful for no crazy weather. The sun is trying to break through, so it’s brightened up quite a bit. No mishaps today.
Saw quite a few cormorants, ospreys, seagulls, a few buzzards and a bald eagle.
This is the route we took today compliments of the NEBO App.
Hope all is well and stay safe out there.