Moving up the Chesapeake Bay

June 29, 2012


When we got back from our one month trip to CA, we found Diamond Girl waiting for us as usual. We had a great time at two of our granddaughters' graduations (one from high school and one from college.)

We had some maintenance plus a lot of provisioning to do and all of that took us four extra days. Then we were off on our trip, continuing north into the Bay and a summer of fun and a bunch of serious maintenance. Bud needs to really get into the engine room and not only do some painting but also some engine work.

When we left Portsmouth, VA we made our first stop in Hampton, VA. It was a short day, but we always like to spend some time in Hampton. It's a small town not far from Newport News.  It's very friendly and has a great anchorage that we like. We stayed for three days waiting for the weather on the Bay to settle down. So far this year we have had a lot of wind in the 20 to 25 knot range, which isn't at all nice when traveling north or south on the Chesapeake. So we just wait it out.

Coming into Hampton, VA



Hampton University


We left early in the morning with our goal to get to Deltaville, VA in one day. It's about 40 miles and that certainly isn't a long day, but there were also some thunderstorms predicted for late afternoon and we like to beat them into the harbor.

Deltaville is a small town, but it is where the Waterway Guide is located.  We wanted to see all of the people with whom we work. We only get to do that maybe twice a year. We really do work with some nice folks.

Wolf Trap Lighthouse

A view of the facilities at Regatta Point Marina in Deltaville.

A gathering for dinner at Regatta Point.
It happens on the spur of the moment.
 Everyone brings what they are going to

 have for dinner, and we all just eat and talk.

 We ended up staying for a few days and making some new friends. Bud was standing on the dock one morning and a fellow boater walked over and started talking.  We found out that they were from Channel Islands, CA. We couldn't believe it. We knew a lot of the same people and did a lot of the same things; i.e., Predicted Log Racing!! You never know who you'll meet. Their names are Larry and Brenda Golkin, and they are members of ChYC. They have been back here cruising for 2 years, and are thinking of heading south this year and maybe shipping their boat back to CA from TX. It truly is a small world.

Leaving Regatta Point is always hard because it's such a great stop, but we needed to keep making tracks north. Solomon's Island was our next distination. We've been there many times and pretty much know our way around town.

Smith Point Lighthouse at the southern edge of the Potomac River.

Diamond Girl underway on a very hot and windless day.

Coming into Solomon's Island we were greeted by a Tall Ship!

We didn't get the name but the home port was Delaware....BEAUTIFUL!!





When we got to Solomon's Island we saw a beautiful Tall Ship (above).  It's always a great thrill to see these replicas...they are amazing.

We are anchored in Back Creek and have been enjoying our stay, but tomorrow we are leaving for St. Michael's and will be with a bunch of friends for the 4th. Our friends Susie and Greg have a gathering every 4th, and there will be a crowd at their home. We will be anchored in their cove and so will some of the other boats. We always look forward to seeing Susie and Greg and everyone else in the gang.  It never fails to be a fantastic time!

This is where we are anchored at Solomon's Island....
absolutely beautiful!



It doesn't get much better!

Quiet and serene.

We hope that everyone has a great 4th of July!!
As always, let us know what is happening in your lives. We love to hear from everyone.

Heading North 2012

June 4, 2012

Well, here we are again, back in California visiting with our family. We have one granddaughter graduating from college and one graduating from high school. It's hard to believe that they are getting that old and we continue to stay the same (ha, ha).
We had a great trip north this year. The weather could have been a bit nicer, but aside from that it went smoothly. We were only held up for 3 or 4 days because of bad weather, and it worked out that we were able to stop at some of our favorite marinas and wait it out. It usually takes us 21 traveling days to make the 800 mile trip from Palm Coast, FL to Norfolk, VA. I know that it sounds like a long time, but when you consider that we only make about 50 to 60 miles a day traveling 6 or 7 hour days it's not too bad. We just get too tired if we travel longer days, especially if we travel several days in a row. We aren't usually in any hurry...so why beat ourselves to death.

Historic Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine, FL

As usual on our trip north, we stopped in Elizabeth City, NC with the intent of doing the Dismal Swamp again. We love this trip and do it almost every year. By the way, we are in the process of finishing our 7th year of full-time cruising on the ICW. It's hard to believe that after dreaming of doing this trip for 20 years, we have actually been doing it for almost 7 years. We have realized our dream, and there is more to come because we are still having a good time! After we completed the Dismal Swamp, we traveled a short distance to Portsmouth, VA where we left Diamond Girl for a month while traveling to the "left coast" and attending the graduations.

 We are definitely proud grandparents!!

After all of the festivities here in CA, we will return to Diamond Girl and continue our dream. We are going to spend the summer in the Chesapeake Bay again, and then we will make our usual migration down to Florida for the winter and spring. OH!!!!What a life we live. We always say "somebody's got to do it and it might as well be us."

Stay in touch, and please let us know what's happening in your lives. We hope that everyone is having as good a time as we are.

Also, you can follow us on Facebook. Just look up our email address we do post a little more often than here.

Bud and Elaine
Diamond Girl