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Hard to believe we are actually doing this.

10/24/2014

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Broad Creek, Deltaville VA
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Moxie at the Crown Marine Marina
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in Richmond Va, Civil War Museum
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Gerry and Old Abe, Richmond VA
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Boat Museum in Reedville
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What can I say, they all volunteer
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Jacksons Creek, Micheal's Catameran going south, he's 88 years old
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Compass Rose House in Reedville
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Trip from Reedville to Jackson's Creek
By the time we got to Deltaville, Va. via flight from Halifax ,NS, car rental from Richmond, Va. (GPS  acting up), Gerry with a bad cold, we were wondering…


Next day getting acquainted with the  immediate area (The Rappahannock River), shopping and organizing- all’s good (except for Gerry’s cold). Adrian  left Moxie ship shape. Bobby of Crown Marine an easy going, helpful host, and although he runs a boat yard, not a marina, we feel safe and snug. Woke up to fishing boats out harvesting oysters, and enjoy the friendly attitude of the people here.

 
Drove to Kilmarnock, Va.  (to WALMART) then went back to Richmond as tourists this time, toured the Civil War Museum, drove the scenic way back beside Plantation Country (Hwy) and The Colonial Trail (Jamestown, Williamsburg, Yorktown) We highly recommend visiting this area! There is a cycling trail along this route.


We took the dingy out for a tour of Broad Creek, Deltaville. Va. : The Boating Capital of the  Chesapeake. Miles and miles of boats! 

 
Because our car rental was returned ( to Gloucester, Va.) with help from the young staff working at the Crown Marine office, we  had a reason to go for a long walk to West Marine, but were helped along -had the new propane tank delivered part way back- then, we were given fresh fish for supper and  had a loaf of bread delivered- Thanks Will and Bobby.


Although Reedsville ,Va. was heading  back north for us, the Cruising Guide promised a tranquil, scenic town with good anchorage so we set out, motor sailed, found the Crazy Crab Restaurant/Marina-closed for the day, but we were able to top up with lovely clear water ( well H2O a bit murky at Crown Marina). Took a walking tour and met the owner of a C&C 36 from Marblehead, who is  doing this trip with his wife for the first time as well. He told us he saw lots of CAN boats, as he has been here waiting for a UPS delivery for a few days.

 

 The next day the Reedville Fisherman’s Museum was opened ,we were in for a treat as the “Old “retired  guys who restore wooden boats for the museum society were working and happily sharing their knowledge. Top notch exhibit and wonderful volunteers! We had a sampling of crab cakes and deep fried (soft-shelled) crabs then motored over to Buzzard’s Pond Marina, for fuel, pump-out and showers.

Sailed back to Deltaville on a blustery NW wind which intensified as we progressed down the bay.
WE put into Jackson's Creek, an anchorage on the other side of the Deltaville peninsula where there were at least 10 boats anchored, waiting out the blow. The next day we spent at anchor and dingied over to the Deltaville Marina Complex, where for $11 per person, you can use the internet, showers, a loaner car, bicycles, watch tv, etc. This is really a 1st class facility, very clean and well kept with a courteous friendly staff. It is also a great place to met folks who are also doing this trip.

 

Boat Projects  

Having trouble getting hooked up with a data plan to the internet.  Not really a boat issue but an ongoing pain in the but as we have to rely on wi-fi hook up at the present.
We tried the Walmart wireless network, but just can't seem to get connected because of miss-understanding's with the support people, (who can't speak English very well) and their web pages not taking Canadian addresses and therefore the credit card being denied. When we get to a bigger center, ie Hampton, I'm returning the sim cards to Walmart and going to get a "Consumer Cellular"Plan. THis should happen early next week.

Got the alternator problem sorted out by temporarely bypassing the Sterling power booster.
The boat and its mechanical systems are working up to expectations.
Solar system gets the batteries recharged on a sunny day.
The diesel heater really puts out, had to use it a couple mornings and we are very greatfull it works so well.
The new Raymarine Evo auto-pilot really works well, steering the  difficult downwind courses with aplomb.

Today we are in Jackson's Creek and will head to Yorktown tomorrow. We plan to be in the Hampton/Norfolk area Sunday and Monday and then head out towards the "Dismal Swamp" canal, which will be our entrance to the Intra-Coastal Waterway.




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Leaving for Virginia

10/10/2014

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Well it's Friday October 10th, an I just finished my last full day at work here in Antigonish. It's  starting to sink in that we will be undergoing a major lifestyle change for the next 7 months, starting in 3 days. Of course I'll be doing some company work on our trip, it's just about impossible to operate a small business and abandon it completely, especially since we have quite a bit of construction work to complete while I'm away, plus I'll try and get things organized for the next building season.  With smart phones, computers and the internet, it should be easy to stay in touch with employees and customers.  Our son Kyle will keep an eye on things plus we have good people working with us.  Everything is in good hands.

A few days ago, our good friends and sailing buddies, Peter and Sharon had a fair well party to which they invited many of our boating friends. It was so good to see everyone and fill them in on our prospective travel routes and destinations. This week end is Thanks giving, and our family will get together for one last time before we leave. We also have a few social engagements this weekend with friends wishing to bid us "fair sailing". We have some packing to do as well as attending to some last minute business  and household matters. (These never really end, so at some point you have to cut loose the ties that bind.)

We will arrive in Richmond Virginia on the afternoon of Oct 14th. We are renting a car for 3 days as we will have to do some provisioning and we want to take a road trip to Washington DC while we are in the area.  Debbie is planning some "Chesapeake" cruises for the couple of weeks we have to wait before we actually are permitted (by our insurance company) to start traveling down the Intracoastal Waterway to our eventual southern destinations.  We are really looking forward to it.



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    Debbie and Gerry Connolly
    Sailing to the Bahamas the fall of 2014 on the 32' Mirage sloop "Moxie"

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