Post # 55:  AN ABRUPT CHANGE OF PLANS;  Day 394;  May 30, 2015.  On board:  Tom McNichol; Hank (my Dad); Jim K.

Life and boating are full of surprises – this time it was a life surprise. Unfortunately, my wife Trish slipped getting into the shower at home in Boston and tore her hamstring from the bone, requiring a significant surgery. Therefore, we docked the boat in Manasquan, New Jersey, rented a car, and drove home so I would be there for the surgery and the beginning of her recovery. The surgery was performed yesterday (Friday), and was successful. Her full recovery will take quite some time – crutches for 6 weeks, no driving for 3 months. I plan to stay home until she is past the initial stages of recovery and arrangements are in place for assistance for her at home, then drive back to Manasquan to bring the Joint Adventure the rest of the way to Boston at a faster pace than originally planned – I expect that will take a week or so, which would get me back to Boston mid-June, which is consistent with our original schedule.  Life is full of surprises!

Back to the trip – as we prepared to leave Cape May and head up the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway last Sunday, we asked everyone we could find in Cape May about the condition of the New Jersey ICW.  We called and asked Sea Tow.  We called and asked BoatUS.  We talked to the dockmaster and several local boaters. Everyone said the same thing:  It is in terrible shape – it has not been maintained;  there are shoals;  there are unmarked shallow spots;  there are long, narrow channels that are difficult to see and easy to wander off into shallow water;  there is still unmarked debris in the channel from Hurricane Sandy.  Bottom line:  their recommendations were unanimous: do not use the New Jersey ICW, especially between Cape May and Atlantic City.  Instead, they recommended going outside the Cape May Inlet and running along the coast, then going back inside the nearest inlet for our overnight destinations.  So we went in the ICW anyway.  We knew the ICW would be a really scenic run if we could minimize our risk of running aground, and we have the advantage of a boat with a relatively shallow draft (about three feet). So we marked on the chart every critical area that people could identify for us, then timed our departure to get to the shallowest spots on the upper half of the tide cycle, when the tide was rising (with a rising tide, if we did go aground, we could wait an hour or so for the tide to lift us so we could back off. With a falling tide, the wait could be 10 hours or longer with the risk of damage much higher as the water ran out from beneath the boat as the tide receded).

Our preparation and our gamble paid off. We crawled through the low spots on the upper half of the tide cycle and enjoyed some wonderful scenes, matching some of the best we’ve seen on the trip. We encountered just one other cruiser the whole way, and he was carefully picking his way through as well. However, it was Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend and it seems that every recreational boater with a small run-about in the entire state was in this section of the ICW – there were boats flying by us in every direction, some passing at full speed within 5 feet of our Hull.  After all, we were in New Jersey….

Here are some pictures from the NJ ICW:

Our first stop on the NJ ICW was a large marina with an on-site restaurant just outside of Ocean City, NJ. Other than the marina, there wasn’t much there without taking a cab, so we decided to cook dinner on board and watch one of the multitude of movies with which my Dad had stocked the boat. The next morning we ran just 15 miles to Atlantic City.

Atlantic City is a very interesting place with a fascinating history. The first hotel was built in 1853, and a year later railroad service began from Philadelphia.  By 1874, nearly half a million visitors a year were flocking to the newly-formed beach resort community, often credited as the first such resort in the country. The famous boardwalk was first built in 1870, and at one time extended more than 7 miles before some parts were damaged by a hurricane in 1944. During the first two decades of the 20th century, Atlantic City underwent a huge building boom in which dozens of enormous resort hotels were built. Prohibition became the law of the land in 1919, but was largely unenforced in Atlantic City – alcohol was smuggled in with the acquiescence of local officials and was easily available in the restaurants and other establishments. The availability of liquor combined with prevalent backroom gambling caused the resort’s popularity to soar even further. In 1923, the City approved construction of a Convention Center (now named Boardwalk Hall), which is discussed in more detail below. Big name entertainers flocked to the City, offering extravagant shows. The Miss America Pageant was born in Atlantic City in 1921, and was held there every year until moving briefly to Las Vegas before returning in 2013. The game Monopoly exploded in popularity after the original board was redesigned to name the properties after locations in or near Atlantic City. And salt water taffy was invented and popularized in Atlantic City.

After World War II, however, the City entered a period of serious decline. With the increased use of automobiles, jet travel, and home swimming pools, people increasingly went to more exotic places to vacation or vacationed in suburbia around their pools. Like many northeastern cities, Atlantic City became plagued with poverty, crime, corruption, and a loss of jobs. Many of the once-magnificent hotels fell into disrepair and were demolished. In an effort to rejuvenate the city, New Jersey voters in 1976 passed a referendum legalizing gambling in Atlantic City. A building boom returned, as a dozen casino resorts were built. The city again boomed, and by the end of the 1980’s, Atlantic City was again one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. However, most people agree that the boom bypassed the impoverished neighborhoods surrounding the tourist area where rejuvenation was needed most.

Today, the fortunes of the city have changed yet again. As many other states have legalized gambling causing the spread of casinos throughout the country, Atlantic City no longer had a monopoly on gambling in the East and people increasingly visited casinos close to home rather than traveling to Atlantic City. Four of Atlantic City’s twelve casinos have closed just within the last two years, with a loss of 8,000 jobs.  Others are struggling with rampant rumors of more closings to come. While talking with a jitney driver, he described the boom years of the 80’s and 90’s saying “every day was New Years Eve”. He’s very concerned about the future.

We spent two days in Atlantic City, exploring the boardwalk and seeing the sights. Not being a big gambler, I decided to limit my losses to $5, which took about 90 seconds at a slot machine (I needed to ask the woman next to me how it worked…).  Here are some images from our visit:

One of the fascinating sights in Atlantic City is Boardwalk Hall, built in 1926. At the time, it contained the longest free-standing arch in the world, and was the largest enclosed open space in the world. The Miss America Pagent, concerts, shows, ice hockey games, boxing matches, and arena football are all held in the cavernous building. Concerts held in the Hall include the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga. The Who performed there last month. During World War II, the hall was used for military training, and the Democratic National Convention was held there in 1964, nominating Lyndon Johnson. Even more amazing is the pipe organ which was built between 1929 and 1932 at a cost of $500,000, weighing more than 150 tons and requiring more than 80 technicians to install it. The replacement cost today is estimated to be three quarters of a billion dollars. We took a tour of the building and learned that the organ is being restored, a process that will take about 12 years. The organ consists of 33,000 pipes, ranging in size from 64 feet to a third of an inch in height (yes – a third of an inch!). The immensity of the organ was required to fill the cavernous hall with music. The Guinness Book of World Records states that the organ produces  “…a pure trumpet sound of earsplitting volume…six times louder than the loudest train whistle.” The air to play the organ is generated by blowers which are powered by 600 HP motors.

Here are some pictures from our tour:

While in Atlantic City, we learned that Trish’s surgery had been scheduled three days later, so we decided to try to get to Manasquan to leave the boat while we came home. Conditions were marginal, requiring us to run nearly 70 miles in the ICW through a low tide cycle with 20 knot winds gusting to 25. Despite the marginal conditions, we decided to go in order to get the boat closer to Boston. Although we lost the channel a couple of times where it was poorly marked, we arrived in Manasquan late in the afternoon without major incident.

We expect to return to the Joint Adventure later this week for the final leg of our journey, which will take us back through New York City, Long Island Sound, the Cape Cod Canal, and up the coast to Boston. More to come!

 

 

Post #54:  OYSTER WARS;  Day 387;  May 23, 2015.  On board:  Tom McNichol;  Hank (my Dad);  Jim K

Chesapeake Bay is an enormous body of water, stretching 200 miles north from its mouth at the Atlantic Ocean to the Susquehanna River and measuring 30 miles at its widest point. One hundred fifty major rivers and streams empty into the Bay, and its shoreline is nearly 12.000 miles long. It is relatively shallow, however, with an average depth of just 21 feet. It was first explored in detail in 1607 and again in 1609 by Captain John Smith of Jamestown fame.

Two critical battles occurred on the Chesapeake. The “Battle of the Capes”, described in a previous blog update, occurred in 1781 and resulted in America’s French allies controlling the mouth of the Chesapeake, setting the stage for General Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown, effectively ending the American Revolution. The second was the failed bombardment by the British fleet of Fort McHenry at Baltimore, inspiring Francis Scott Key to write The Star Spangled Banner.

Less well known are the “Oyster Wars” that continued on the Chesapeake for nearly 100 years. The Oyster Wars started in 1865 when Maryland passed a law requiring annual permits for oyster harvesting within its territorial waters. Permits were restricted to only Maryland residents. By the 1880’s, the Chesapeake supplied almost half the world’s supply of oysters. Ignoring the permit requirements, New England fishermen started harvesting oysters in the Bay when their local oyster beds became depleted. In response, Maryland formed the Maryland Oyster Navy, the predecessor to today’s Maryland Natural Resources Police. However, it was inadequate to compete with the more heavily armed watermen. Virginia made its own attempts to control oyster harvesting, including license fees, seasonal limits, and a ban on dredging, Its enforcement efforts were also inadequate, and illegal harvesting continued. However, the Governor of Virginia, William Cameron, needed publicity to boost his popularity, so he left his office in the state house to personally lead an expedition against illegal dredgers. In February of 1882, his fleet of two boats, a freighter and a tugboat, engaged the illegal dredgers at the mouth of the Rappahannock River, resulting in the successful conviction of 41 dredgers and the seizure of 7 boats. The Governor’s popularity soared. However, a year later his popularity diminished, so he decided to undertake a second expedition. This one failed, as captured dredgers were acquitted in court and the Governor was blamed. Further, the opposition press mocked him for failing to capture the “Dancing Molly”, a sloop run by three women who managed to outrun the Governor’s fleet (I’m not making this up). The embarrassment increased when the Norfolk Academy of Music lampooned the Governor in a comic opera entitled “Driven From the Seas;  or The Pirate Dredger’s Doom”. The Governor’s popularity never recovered.  The Oyster Wars continued until, in 1959, an officer of the Potomac Rivers Fishery Commission killed a Virginia waterman who was illegally dredging. The Commissioner ordered that the fisheries police be disarmed, and the violence finally ended.

Our next stop on the Chesapeake was Annapolis, Maryland. Founded in 1649, Annapolis grew rapidly in the 18th century as a port of entry and a major center for the Atlantic slave trade. However, it declined rapidly when Baltimore, with its deeper harbor, became a port of entry in 1780. Annapolis became the temporary capital of the United States in 1783 for about a year upon the signing of the Treaty of Paris granting independence from Britain. In 1845, the United States Naval Academy was established in Annapolis. The entire campus is now a National Historic Landmark, and its presence is omnipresent in the city.

Today, Annapolis is a thriving tourist and college town. There are over 100 restaurants in the city, and Main Street is a collage of boutiques, pubs, and specialty shops. There is a very active night life, fueled in part by the Academy.

We docked at the Annapolis City Docks, located in the heart of downtown Annapolis. Here are some images from our two-day visit:

 

From Annapolis we ran 40 miles up the Patapsco River to Baltimore, about 10 miles each way off our route. We docked in the Baltimore Inner Harbor, located in the heart of downtown Baltimore. The waterfront/Inner Harbor has been transformed in recent decades, and is home to many shops, restaurants, and attractions, including the Aquarium and the Science Museum. We planned to stay for two days in Baltimore, but stayed an extra day due to high winds. Here are some pictures from our stay:

The following day, the wind in Baltimore had finally diminished, but it was cold and rainy. However, we wanted to move on, so we ran 50 miles in steady rain to Chesapeake City. The bridge on the Joint Adventure has a bimini top and clear plastic windows that can be zipped into place, so we dressed warm and stayed dry during the run. Chesapeake City is located on the C&D Canal, which connects Chesapeake Bay to Delaware Bay. The map below is the best way to describe the geography:

Chesapeake City is a hidden gem – a small, historic town with buildings dating in the early 1800’s with some surprisingly good restaurants and a vibrant marina with a large restaurant/lounge that has live music 5 days a week. Here are some pictures:

The rain cleared but the forecast called for winds increasing to 20 knots with gusts to 30 knots and small craft warnings, so we left at dawn the next day to run 70 miles down Delaware Bay to Cape May, New Jersey. The wind and waves kicked up, but the waves were on our stern so the passage was a bit rough but doable. On the way, we passed the nuclear power plant that my nephew Jimmy Southerton operates:

Cape May, New Jersey is unique. Located on a peninsula which separates Delaware Bay from the Atlantic Ocean, it was the country’s first seaside resort. Several large hotels were constructed, and it became the summer playground of socialites in the 18th century. In 1878, a five day long fire destroyed several city blocks, including several of the hotels. Nearly all of the homes that were built during the reconstruction were Victorian style, and today Cape May boasts the second largest collection of Victorian homes in the nation, after San Francisco. In 1976, the entire town was designated a National Historic Landmark, the only city in the nation so designated. Today, the city is a thriving tourist town with tours of the historic homes, great restaurants, and a fantastic beach. Here are some images:

From Cape May, we work our way north on the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway towards New York. We’re told that the channel is often narrow and shallow, extensive shoaling exists, and some debris from Hurricane Sandy still remains submerged and unmarked. If it gets too precarious, we’ll head into the open water and run outside the shoreline, but we prefer the interesting channels of the ICW if it is safe enough. More to come!

 

 

Post #53 – SKIING AT THE TIKI BAR  – Day 380, May 16, 2015;   On board:  Hank Koningisor (my Dad);  Tom McNichol;  Jim K

Before we left Norfolk, a “caravan” of PDQ’s docked at the South Harbor in Portsmouth (just across the river from Norfolk). PDQ is the manufacturer of the Joint Adventure – they built 114 of them from 2001 to 2007, when the company succumbed to economic pressures as the economy began to collapse.  Therefore, only 114 exist – six of them came into the harbor:

Unfortunately, Jack Kelly left the Joint Adventure on Saturday to re-enter real life. Fortunately, Hank (my Dad, who is now in his 91st year) and Tom McNichol flew to Norfolk to join me.  On Sunday, we ran 40 miles to Yorktown, about 15 miles off-route, up the York River. Norfolk Harbor empties into Chesapeake Bay at its mouth, so we encountered several large ships entering and leaving Norfolk:

In August of 1781, British General Clinton (no relation to Hillary….) became convinced that General Washington was going to attack Clinton’s position in New York rather than pursue General Cornwallis in Virginia. As a result, Clinton sent word to Cornwallis to adopt a defensive position and be ready to send reinforcements to New York if needed. Cornwallis chose Yorktown to build fortifications and dig in. In fact, Washington’s plan had been to attack New York until he got word that a fleet of allied French battleships were on route to the Chesapeake. Implementing an elaborate decoy which included an encampment of empty tents to fool Clinton, Washington departed under the cover of darkness with his troops on a forced march to Yorktown. Before he arrived, the French fleet engaged the British fleet at the mouth of the Chesapeake in a sea battle that was essentially a draw. However, because of damage to his ships and not knowing that Washington was on his way to Yorktown, the British admiral withdrew his ships to New York for repairs.  This left the French fleet, allied with the Americans, in control of the mouth of the Chesapeake. Cornwallis’s escape route was effectively blocked. Upon his arrival, Washington joined with union forces already in Williamsburg – Washington now had Cornwallis significantly outnumbered. Although Cornwallis had more artillery pieces, Washington had much larger and more powerful cannons. In the siege that followed, Cornwallis quickly realized that his army of over 8,000 men had no chance and would be overrun. His last, desperate way out was to try to withdraw across the York River in a fleet of small boats that he had maintained at the ready for just such a purpose – he could then try to fight his way through a much smaller union army on the other side, hoping to be able to fight another day under more favorable circumstances. As he attempted to withdraw in darkness, however, a violent thunderstorm hit, destroying or severely damaging nearly all of the boats. Cornwallis knew it was over. The next morning, he surrendered his entire army, including all of the weapons and ammunition that had survived the siege. The Revolutionary War was effectively over – only minor skirmishes occurred thereafter until the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783 granting independence to the American colonies.

Eighty percent of Yorktown was destroyed in the battle, including its port facilities, and the town never recovered its former prominence. In 1814, a fire destroyed the waterfront facilities that had been rebuilt, and the town became a small, sleepy farming village thereafter.

The Visitor Center/battlefield at Yorktown is a fascinating place to visit – there are far too many anecdotes and interesting stories for me to relate here.  The small village of Yorktown on a bluff above the river is also interesting, with many historic buildings dating to the early and mid 1800’s. Below the village, there is a tasteful waterfront along the York River which includes a beautiful beach, several restaurants, and many historic markers. Here are some pictures from our visit:

Due to high winds and some rain as Tropical Storm Ana passed over us, we were “weathered in” for another day in Yorktown, which fit our schedule as we had planned to stay for two days in Yorktown.  We rented a car and drove to Williamsburg and Jamestown, both within about 25 miles of Yorktown. Here are a few pictures:

 

From Williamsburg, we drove to Jamestown where we spent the afternoon exploring the site of the original Jamestown settlement:

On Tuesday, we ran 50 miles north on Chesapeake Bay to a small, isolated island called Tangier Island – one of the most unique places we’ve visited the entire trip. First settled in 1686, most of the 700 current residents are descendants of the early settlers – there are only 53 different surnames among the 700 residents. Because of its isolation over the centuries, the residents speak a fabled, lingering style of speech thought to be directly descended from early Elizabethan-era settlers – at times, it is difficult to understand the dialect it is so pronounced. The islanders are also quite religious. Until recently, the entire economy of the island revolved around crabbing, which still clearly dominates the island. The men who live from the sea are known here as “watermen”. In the last few decades, a limited amount of tourism now supplements the economy of the island, though crabbing still dominates island life. Tangier has its own K-12 school, one policeman, a post office, and a volunteer fire department, so it is quite self sufficient.  The people are fiercely independent and proud of their heritage, and most wouldn’t live anywhere else.  The island has a spectacular beach at the south end, which was chosen by the British as their base of operations in the War of 1812 – it was from here that they launced the attack on Washington DC and burned the White House, and from which they launched their attack on Fort McHenry in Baltimore – the result of which was the writing of the National Anthem by Francis Scott Key.

Entering the harbor is a unique experience – both sides of the channel are lined with crab shanties standing on pilings in the water. Each has its own dock and a series of crab tanks within the shanty where the waterman sorts the crabs, isolating them as they molt which changes them from hard shell to softshell crabs.

However, there are two evolutions which threaten the very existence of the unique, centuries-old way of life. The first is erosion and rising sea levels fueled by climate change. Nearly all of the island lies just 4 feet or less above sea level, so just a modest rise in sea level threatens to drown the island. The second is a drain of young people needed to continue the traditions and the community. As young people born and raised on the island are increasingly exposed to other ways of life through TV, the internet, social media, etc., more and more opt to leave the island and not return. During our visit, we met two producers working for National Geographic who were spending 4 or 5 days on Tangier and Smith Islands, producing a TV documentary about the island communities and the threats to their culture and existence.

Today, the islanders welcome visitors and are willing to share their way of life in small doses. Small ferry boats bring a limited number of day-visitors from the Virginia and Maryland sides of the Bay. There are three restaurants, a few small gift shops in people’s homes, and a few Bed & Breakfasts for people to stay for a night or two.

Here are some pictures from our stay:

 

 

 

Just 12 miles north of Tangier is its sister island, called Smith Island. Tangier is located in Virginia, while Smith is mostly in Maryland. Smith is slightly larger in area but has a population of only 250, compared to 700 on Tangier. Like Tangier, the lifeblood of Smith Island is crabbing. The sparser population makes life a bit more difficult on Smith, since there is much less tourism and therefore fewer service jobs. There are two restaurants (one is actually more of a store/diner), a small museum, a post office, and a church. The island culture is far more vulnerable than Tangier, since there are fewer young people to carry forward and erosion is taking a large toll.  However, the landscape is spectacular, the people are great, and the traditions run deep.

When we ate lunch at Rukes Seafood Deck (the combination store/diner and the only place open for lunch this time of year), Tom asked the storekeeper (Steve), what he would order if he were eating lunch. The manager answered “Wait a minute”, and walked to the door, looked outside, and came back to the table.  When Tom asked him why he had to look outside to decide what he would order, Steve said “I would have ordered cheese steak, but I had to see if the boat came in today because the cheese steak is on the boat”.  A unique place indeed! Here are some pictures:

Our next stop was Solomon Island – a bit of a misnomer, since the former island has been connected to the mainland in Maryland since the 1800’s. Solomon Island is a boating center, with half a dozen marinas containing literally hundreds of slips. There is no beach, but there is a boardwalk with half a dozen good restaurants and perhaps half a dozen shops and boutiques. Pawtuxet Naval Air Station is nearby, so watching fighter jets and other assorted military aircraft circling on training missions is a major attraction. There is also a museum which focuses on local history and natural resources, which features a relocated lighthouse:

So one of the main attractions in Solomon Island is the night life.  There is a Tiki Bar that is active during the day, but becomes a “happening” at night – at least on a weekend night when we were there. The small street adjacent to the Tiki Bar gets closed off and is turned into a beach party. There is sand along both sides of the street, and there are several more tiki bars and watering holes that open up along the street as well. Seating areas, tables & chairs, cornhole games, etc. are set up in the sand on both sides of the street, and you are free to wander from place to place with your drinks. There is a giant totem pole structure four feet in diameter, apparently hollow, with a flame on top – every once in a while a ball of gas is released and a big fireball shoots into the sky.

So I was sitting at the Tiki Bar enjoying the show when the bartender took out an old wooden ski from under the bar – this is skiing at the Tiki Bar:

Hmmm…I think I have an old wooden ski in the basement…

On Friday, we ran 50 miles north to the great city of Annapolis, where we remain docked in the inner harbor.  More to come!

 

 

 

Post #52:  BEARD OIL – Day 373, May 9, 2015.  On board:  Jack Kelly;  Tom Thurston (partial);  Jessie Koningisor (partial); Naoko Yamaguchi Schneider (partial)

Beaufort was hosting a boat building contest on Saturday, so we were able to watch part of it before we cast off the lines and headed out. During the 4 hour time limit, each team built a boat that met certain required specifications;  judges chose the best results to be awarded prizes:

This boat came in for the festivities:

My friend Jack Kelly flew into North Carolina and joined us early Saturday afternoon. Soon after he arrived we cast off the lines on a somewhat windy day for a 25 mile run to Oriental, North Carolina. A small 12-block town on the edge of the wide Neuse River, Oriental has half a dozen restaurants, a few commercial establishments, and some 19th century, well-kept homes. Here are some pictures:

Our next stop was Belhaven, N. C. after a 50 mile run in the wide, open waters of the Neuse and Pamlico Rivers. Notorious for steep, closely-spaced waves, we wanted a relatively calm day, and we got it after several days of fairly strong winds. Belhaven is a small, sleepy town that seems to be struggling economically. The town was first settled in 1868 and grew by producing lumber products in several mills. When a rail line was built to Norfolk, the town became an important transportation artery for the distribution of goods throughout eastern North Carolina due to its location on Pamlico Sound. Belhaven calls itself “the birthplace of the ICW” because the last remaining link – the Alligator River/Pungo River Canal – was completed and opened in 1928. The celebration in Belhaven for the opening was attended by 20,000 people and included two Navy seaplanes, several Coast Guard cutters, and an Army blimp. Today, local businesses primarily serve local farming communities and local residents. There are some very attractive buildings in the small, downtown area, but there are a number of vacant storefronts,and within blocks of Main Street, vacant, derelict buildings are frequent. Here are two of the prominent historic buildings in town:

This is a tidbit of information that I picked up in Belhaven that you probably didn’t know….

The next day’s run started with a 22 mile run through the Alligator River-Pungo River Canal, followed by a 21 mile run on the open waters of the Alligator River.  Fortunately, we had another day of light winds, so it was a pleasant run. We stayed at the Alligator River Marina due to its location rather than its amenities – it basically consists of a Shell gas station along a highway with docks behind it – perhaps the least attractive stop of our trip (we’ve stayed at other rural, sometimes somewhat derelict marinas, but each seemed to have some redeeming feature that provided character…). The Alligator River was our rendezvous point where, unfortunately, Tom Thurston left the trip to go back to real life; fortunately, however, my daughter Jessie and her friend Naoko from Japan joined us. Here are some pictures:

We left the next morning for Elizabeth City, crossing the notorious Albemarle Sound – it’s shallow water, frequent winds, and geographic orientation has made it legendary for unpleasant passages. We left fairly early to try to get across before the wind picked up, which turned out to be wise – we were entering the more protected Pasquotank River as the winds began to build. A few pictures from the run:

Elizabeth City grew in colonial days due to its location on the Pasquotank River, its abundance of lumber, and the opening of the Dismal Swamp Canal in 1805. Today, the city has many historical buildings and a wonderful waterfront, which it leverages by providing free overnight dockage, restrooms, and showers available to transient boaters. It also boasts a surprisingly large and comprehensive museum in a beautiful, new building, and the historic district is significant. The City does seem to be struggling a bit economically, however, as evidenced by a number of vacant storefronts in the downtown area.

Here are a few pictures:

So two of Jessie’s Law School friends whom I count among my friends as well, Lou and Brandon, have apparently been experimenting with various concoctions, one of which is beard oil. Having seen my beard on the blog, they thought this would be a good opportunity to do some market research so they sent a bottle with Jessie for me to try. Now I didn’t even know there was such a thing as “beard oil”, so I didn’t really have much to compare to. I do know that my beard frequently (always?) looks frazzled and perhaps rather silly, so I was certainly willing to try it out. However, I didn’t know what to do with it, so I asked Jessie to inquire about some instructions. The reply came back:  “(1) Rise early  (2) Rub on beard  (3) Seek adventure”.  Not quite as detailed as I had hoped. I then inquired whether it was flammable or not. The reply came back:  “Oh, we didn’t test for that – we’re not engineers…”.   Not one to be deterred, with Jessie’s help, I tried it out:

I think it’s a lost cause….

Leaving Elizabeth City, there is an 18 mile run up the narrowing Pasquotank River to a lock which marks the beginning of the Dismal Swamp Canal. The lock only opens at specific times several hours apart, so we cast off the lines at 6:30 AM to make the 8:30 lock opening. This part of the river is one of the most scenic rivers on the Great Loop. Here are some images:

The name “Great Dismal Swamp” is a misnomer – it is not dismal at all. The name is a carryover from the maps of early explorers, who often labeled swamps as “dismals” because they had no economic value at that time and were an impediment to exploration and transportation. For some reason, the label “dismal” stuck to this particular swamp and became its name. In 1763, none other than George Washington proposed digging a canal to connect the waters of Albemarle Sound to Chesapeake Bay. He became president of the privately-held Dismal Swamp Land Company, and directed the surveying and digging of the first 5 miles of the canal. However, by 1796, Washington became disappointed in the management of the project, and contracted to sell his share to “Lighthorse” Harry Lee – father of Robert E. Lee.  Lee was unable to come up with the money, however, and Washington’s interest remained part of his estate when he died in 1799.

The canal took 12 1/2 years to build, and was dug by hand by slave labor. It opened in 1805, and is the oldest continually operated man-made canal in North America. During the Civil War, the Canal and the swamp took on two important roles in American history. First, the Union Army tried but failed to blow up the locks at South Mills in an attempt to cut off the Dismal Swamp as a route for the Confederate Army to supply Norfolk and the surrounding area. They later did take control of the canal.  Second, many run-away slaves hid in the swamp, even forming small, hidden settlements, where they lived throughout the war. The swamp also became part of a route to the north for slaves seeking freedom.

Today, there is no commercial traffic on the canal – it is used only be recreational vessels, and serves as one of two optional routes of the ICW. The canal is narrow and full of “deadheads” – submerged logs – so many if not most boats transiting the ICW choose the alternate “Virginia Cut” route. We chose the Dismal Canal route due to its beauty and uniqueness. Here are some pictures:

 

Within 5 miles of exiting the Great Dismal Swamp at the northern end of the canal, the landscape changes abruptly as one enters the southern end of Norfolk Harbor. Norfolk boasts that it has the largest natural harbor in the world. Pristine landscapes abruptly change to massive industrial uses;  the massive industrial uses then abruptly change to massive military uses. There are more military personnel within 15 miles of Norfolk that at anyplace else in the world. The presence of the Navy quickly becomes obvious:

 

The Navy presence is weaved into the fabric of the city throughout. With its strategic location in the middle of the Atlantic coast and its large, protected harbor, Norfolk quickly became a Navy shipbuilding center after the colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. As the growing nation lurched from periods of war to periods of peace, the economy of Norfolk lurched accordingly – employment soared during periods of military build-up, and waned during periods of drawdown. The relationship between the Navy and the city has not always been easy. Between 1917 and the end of World War II, the relationship faced two basic problems. The first was entertainment for the sailors stationed in Norfolk, whose racous behavior sometimes irritated the local people – one humorist dubbed the city “the Hong Kong of the Albemarle”. The other problem involved the provision of city services such as water, electricity, and transportation, which the city could not always provide.

Today, the city, along with its sister city of Portsmouth across the Elizabeth River, is active and vibrant, and its Naval history is on display throughout.  Here are some pictures from our stay in Norfolk:

General MacArthur lived part of his life in Norfolk, so there is an extensive memorial to his life and achievements. While celebrating his remarkable record in World War II and the Korean War, the memorial also deals with the controversy surrounding his outspoken nature and his ultimate dismissal by President Truman. While the MacArthur/Truman relationship is well know, less publicized is the enigmatic relationship between MacArthur and President Roosevelt. Roosevelt once called MacArthur “the most dangerous man in America”, while MacArthur once described Roosevelt as “a man who never told the truth if a lie would suffice.”  The MacArthur Memorial is well worth a visit:

One last picture from our stay:

Norfolk is Mile 0 on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, so our journey now heads north into the relatively open waters Chesapeake Bay. More to come!

 

 

 

 

 

Post #51:  ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY;  MARSHES & MUD, BEACHES & SAND;  Day 366, May 2, 2015;  On Board:  Tom Thurston;  Jim K.

One year ago today, we cast off the lines in Boston to begin our adventure around the Great Loop. In my first blog post, I wrote:

“I just looked up ‘adventure’ in Webster’s Dictionary – it defines ‘adventure’ as ‘an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity’.  YIKES!  One on my goals is for this adventure NOT to be hazardous!  Another goal is that it not be TOO exciting.  But it certainly will be interesting, and it certainly will stretch the envelope and be challenging.”

So as I look back on the past year, the journey certainly has met those expectations and more – although at times there was a bit more “excitement” than I may have wished for! But here we are a year later, just five or six weeks from returning home with a wealth of new experiences.

So back to the present – before Jake & Elissa left the boat in Charleston, they gave me a “survival” kit to help me carry on:

I hated to see them leave, but I was happy to have Tom Thurston join me for the next week. Our first day was a nearly 70 mile run to Georgetown, South Carolina. Some pictures from the ICW:

Our next stop, Georgetown, is the third oldest city in South Carolina, having been founded in 1732. Indigo was the first cash crop in Georgetown, and brought great wealth to plantation owners until the Revolutionary War cut off the indigo market with England. Rice then replaced indigo, which required huge quantities of slave labor – before long, 85% of the population of Georgetown County were slaves. After the Civil War, lumber replaced rice as Georgetown’s principal product, and by 1913, Georgetown was home to the largest lumber mill on the East Coast. In 1936, International Paper built a paper mill in Georgetown, and in the late 1960’s, a steel mil was built. Both mills are still in operation, providing jobs and helping to drive the local economy.

Georgetown today is a pleasant working town with many historical buildings and a new boardwalk along the riverfront with several restaurants with outdoor seating. Here are some images:

 

Our next stop was Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, after a 50 mile run. Much like Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach is about beaches and golf. Here are a few pictures from our stay in Myrtle Beach:

So the ICW in Florida runs inside a series of barrier islands, essentially parallel to the mainland. The shoreline is dominated by sand beaches along nearly all of the Florida coastline. Sand is everywhere.  In Georgia and South Carolina, however, known as the Low Country, it changes dramatically. The barrier islands disappear, and the coastline is dominated by marshes.  Sand disappears as well, replaced by mud built up by decaying plant material over countless eons. The ICW changes from a linear waterway following the coastline to a meandering pathway that utilizes rivers, creeks, estuaries, and man-made cuts to form a contiguous but zig-zag waterway through the marshes. Though the overall direction is northerly, the route wanders through nearly every point on the compass. However, once you approach the North Carolina border, the world changes yet again. The Low Country marshes disappear, replaced once again by sand and barrier islands. Instead of marshes, the ICW is bordered by cypress swamps and sand dunes. But that isn’t all that is different – the climate has changed as well. Long pants and sweatshirts have re-appeared, and shorts are confined to a few hours in the afternoon, if at all. The “high season” was ending in Florida, while it is just ready to begin here in North Carolina. We are indeed moving north.

Here are some images of the ICW as we head into this new and changing environment:

Another milestone!  We crossed into our next state – North Carolina – and stopped at Carolina Beach after about a 60 mile run. Carolina Beach is an older beach community with a new, extensive wood boardwalk – the beach area reminds me somewhat of Hull in Massachusetts. Here are a few pictures:

Every stop can’t be a resort – our stop at Sneads Ferry, North Carolina was anything but – a bit rustic, as they say, sort of in the middle of nowhere. But it was in a location that broke up an otherwise long stretch, so we pulled in, as planned. However, there is a restaurant three miles away that was willing to pick us up at the marina, then drive us back after dinner.  So off we went. The person who picked us up, a warm, twenty-something man named Andrew, is the grandson of the man who opened the restaurant in 1947 – the third generation in a family-owned business. One thing I’ve learned on this trip – the best restaurants are usually not the chic, urban establishments, but the small, out-of-the-way, rural, family owned restaurants where mostly locals who know good food and good value go for meals. Places like Mudcat Charlie’s, as described in a previous blog update. And the Riverview Café in Sneads Ferry might be the best of them all. On the way to the restaurant, I asked Andrew what his best, freshest fish was. He said his favorite was fried sea mullet (sea mullet?) – they just brought some in today, fresh caught. I told him I can’t eat much fried food, could they grill it?  Sure, they can grill it, he said. When my meal arrived, there were three big fillets, plus the “backbone” (the part of the fish that’s left after they fillet it). Perhaps the best fish I’ve ever had. I learned when Andrew drove us back to the marina that, despite the fact that Andrew isn’t the cook, he went into the kitchen and grilled it himself, the way he likes it cooked. The entire dinner, including two sides, was $9.95. He told us on our ride back to the boat that he buys the sea mullet for $1.50/pound, because it’s an “undiscovered” local fish. Great meal – but no great meal is complete without desert. All homemade pies, made fresh every day. I couldn’t decide between peanut butter pie and coconut pie, so I had slice of peanut butter pie for desert and got a coconut pie to go.

So – my theory of restaurants – look for the out-of-the-way, rural places where only the locals go – that’s where the real gems are.

Here are a couple of pictures from Sneads Ferry:

On Thursday, we cast off the lines in a light drizzle, expecting to avoid predicted heavy rain in the area. We succeeded until we were about an hour from Beaufort, N.C., when the skies opened up. The pouring rain ended just before we reached Beaufort, however, so we stayed dry while we docked.

Beaufort is a small, historic town with many homes and commercial buildings built in the 1800’s along the waterfront and throughout the historic district. The town has many restaurants, pubs, boutiques, and shops. It also sits adjacent to Cape Lookout, at the southern end of the extensive barrier island system off the coast of North Carolina that includes Cape Hatteras and Kitty Hawk. Across the channel from Beaufort itself is Shackleford Banks, one of the few places in the Eastern United States that is home to herds of wild horses. The horses have Spanish ancestry, and their origins are believed to date back to colonial times. You can take tours to view the wild horses on the island.

Here are a few pictures from our stay in Beaufort:

 

Along the way, I sometimes see signs or placards or T-shirts with clever or humorous messages that make me chuckle.  Here are a few that I’ve seen here or there over the past couple of months might make you chuckle as well:

So today (Saturday), my good friend Jack Kelly joins us for our run to Norfolk. More to come!