Bohemia River, MD

The morning of Monday, May 28 started out quite chilly so Jon thought we would cruise from down below in the saloon, the first time on this journey.  But after almost an hour of tinkering, he couldn’t get either of the remotes to work which would have allowed him to fully use the chart plotter and auto pilot from the saloon.   It was especially frustrating for Jon because he had tested both remotes before we left Miami and they both were working then.  While he struggled with this, Lynn updated the blog. 

So we cruised from the flybridge and bundled up to keep warm.  Lynn actually wore 2 shirts, a sweatshirt, and a wind breaker along with a blanket covering her legs. This conveniently served as a nesting spot for Georgio to snuggle in for most of the day.

We cruised under the dramatic bridge in Annapolis  and through the top of the Chesapeake which gets quite narrow with beautifully wooded hills lining the shoreline Fortunately, it was pretty smooth “sailing” with only a  moderate amount of boat traffic on this chilly Memorial Day.   

After almost 7 hours, we found a quiet anchorage at the mouth of the Bohemia River where the waters were dead calm.

Jonny made a chicken stir fry for dinner using the bok choy we bought at the farmer’s market while Lynn blocked the baby blanket she’s been knitting for her cousin in Philly who just had a baby.  Endless hours of cruising provides lots of time for projects!

 We’ll be in Philly in two days where we’re so looking forward to spending a week visiting with Stephanie!

Whitehall Bay, VA

We left our Hongo River anchorage on Sunday, May 26 at 7:15 (earlier than usual for us) to take advantage of what we thought would be smooth sailing earlier in the day. We were bound for another anchorage on the eastern shore. As we headed out it was apparent that the waters were rougher than expected with 2 foot short period seas out of the SW.  Georgio secured himself in our boat bag on the flybridge.  

But once again when we veered north, the waves were on our stern and not too uncomfortable. As the day progressed, the bay calmed down even more.

Traffic on the bay was not heavy but there were some freighters and pleasure craft out. 

Given the flat seas, we decided to change our course and cross the bay to find an anchorage off of the Severn River on the western shore. This would bring us a bit closer to reaching Delaware Bay.  We briefly considered going close to Annapolis to dinghy into town but quickly dismissed the idea. Memorial Day weekend boat traffic and crowds were the convincing factors.

We found a great anchorage on Whitehall Bay - a wide open bay lined with gracious homes and a small beach.  Although it was open to southerly winds, they weren’t expected to be significant.

We were going to take the dinghy up the Whitehall Creek to check out the area but the sky was clouding up and there were ominous sounds of thunder in the distance. Instead, the intrepid Jonathan took the paddle board out for a quick paddle and dip in the bay. The water was quite a bit colder than Onancock’s comfortable temp! 

As he climbed back into the boat, the first raindrops came and we quickly closed all the windows and secured the paddle board and dinghy.  

The storm rolled in complete with thunder and lightening but we were cozy in our little saloon. We made the exact same dinner as the night before - crab cakes, etc. And because we were so close to Annapolis  we were able to get some stations (mostly PBS) on TV which we haven’t watched in weeks. Eventually we settled on the Memorial Day concert filmed at the Capital in DC where the audience wore raincoats in the rain. It was moving enough to cause Lynn  to shed a tear or two.

Hongo River, VA

We finally said goodbye to Robbie and our lovely anchorage in Onancock on Sat., May 26. But first we had to walk into town for the local farmer’s market where we bought some fresh local vegetables and back fin crabmeat to make into crab cakes for dinner that night.  

We walked Rob back to the harbor where he was meeting the local woman who had insisted on driving him to the airport in Norfolk.  We will miss Rob - he’s the easiest guest in the world and that’s saying something as he stayed with us for 2 weeks in our cozy vessel! Now Lynn has to get back to work as the one and only first mate!

We set off at about 9:45 and planned to cruise up the eastern shore of the Chesapeake to an anchorage.  The weather was OK but the bay was a little rough, though not the worst we’ve seen.   There were 2 foot following seas but once we turned north, it was a little rolly but mostly fairly comfortable.  We proceeded on a long pleasant passage on Tangier Bay passing both Tangier and Smith Islands on our port.  Somewhat surprisingly, we saw very few boats even though it was Memorial Day weekend. And Georgio hunkered does on the fly bridge comfortably ensconced in the boat bag.

We chose an anchorage on the Hongo River, a pretty wide open spot in a bend in the river. We were next to the tiny hamlet of Hoopersville, VA which was located on the very end of the narrowest peninsula you could imagine.  It looked like just a few widely spaced homes though the book said there was  a working marina there primarily for fishing boats.  The cell service was practically nonexistent.

We, however, were perfectly happy enjoying a delicious dinner of crab cakes, summer squash and salad.  We planned to “set sail”very early the next morning as the weather is usually better earlier in the day, so we hit the sack shortly after our satisfying meal.

Onancock, VA

On Thursday, May 24 we left the Cape Charles town dock headed for the lovely town of Onancock.  We had driven through Onancock by car during our cruise two years ago and we loved it so much we vowed that we would return by water next time.  Today’s 6 1/2 hour cruise started on calm seas but about halfway through when we adjusted our direction it got a little rougher.  It also got quite chilly so much so that a blanket came in handy!

The winds were out of the north and became higher than predicted with a healthy 2 foot chop and quite a bit of rocking and rolling.  Crossing the Chesapeake is not always fun!  It has been great having Robbie on board with us. He and Jonny took turns at the helm and traded off on nap times as well.

Fortunately, the waters calmed as we entered the passage to Onancock.  This area is just gorgeous with lovely homes nestled on large wooded and landscaped lots.  

We anchored near a historic wharf at the center of this little town (more like a village)

Presently, we ventured out for a long walk through town.

One of the highlights was a visit to an art gallery that featured the work of Danny Dougherty whose paintings Lynn just loved.  The artist spent a lot of time telling us about growing up in the area and what inspires his work. The gallery was filled with his vibrantly hued, mostly large canvasses depicting the local black culture, mostly the women who cared for the children of white families when he grew up.  His work is well regarded and featured in universities and other settings.  The colors and style appealed to Lynn greatly but unfortunately the price tags did not!

Many of the shops here were also closed but it appeared that they would be opening in time for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.  

We stopped for the obligatory beer at the restaurant on the wharf that we had visited 2 years ago.  It was in the same building as the town’s original general store.  There, Robbie queried some locals about the best way to get to the Norfolk Airport as he was flying out in a couple of days.  The people there were very friendly and helpful here and we were so pleased with the town that we decided to stay an extra day.

So on Friday we took the dinghy in to have breakfast at Janet’s Cafe which had been recommended to us. 

This charming cafe frequented by the locals was opened and run by a crusty Montauk (Long Island) transplant who immediately took to us when she recognized Jonny’s MTK baseball cap.  After a delicious  breakfast, we asked her about a place to grocery shop and she recommended her friend who had a farm stand and would even be willing to deliver the items to us at the boat.   But since we needed groceries as well, the guys decided to haul our bikes onto the dinghy and ride the couple of miles to the grocery. They did stop at the farm stand where Janet’s friend, Doreen, an even crustier “broad” insisted that they leave their bikes and take her car to shop.

The guys came back loaded down with groceries and then went back to return the car and retrieve the bikes.  They also brought back some great strawberries, peaches, asparagus and corn on the cob from the farm stand and promised Doreen that we would see her at the pub later that evening.

That afternoon we did some more sightseeing in town and visited a historic home called the Ker House where we learned more about the history of the area including both revolutionary and civil war era stories from the engaging docent there.



Afterwards we returned to the pub where we met up again with all the lovely folks we had met over the last 2 days. One of the women offered to drive Robbie to the airport the next day. We were so impressed by the incredibly warm and friendly people we met everywhere we went in Onancock.  

By the way, we struggled with how to pronounce the town’s name - Onancock- so here it is - O (long o) nan ( as in Nancy) cock - with the accent on nan. Got it?

That evening Lynn made scrumptious soft shell crab, local asparagus and corn on the cob for dinner. It was our last night with Rob who sadly, was leaving the next day. 

Cape Charles, VA

We had our first big cruise across the Chesapeake on a fine sunny day on Wednesday, May 23 heading for Cape Charles on the eastern shore.  It was one of the smoothest crossings we’ve had on the Chesapeake. Rob and Jonny put a couple of fishing lines out but unfortunately didn’t catch anything.

We saw at least 15 freighters/container ships lined up  to enter either the Norfolk or Baltimore harbors.  The next day they were still there and we realized that they were anchored likely awaiting orders to enter one of the ports. We had to maneuver among them to reach our destination.

We chose to dock at the Cape Charles town dock because the Oyster Farm Marina, an MTOA partner, was more expensive and didn’t honor their MTOA agreement, only offering the same discount they give to BoatUS members. 

Our marina choice was quite basic but adequate for our needs. Once tied up, we walked into town just across the railroad tracks.  Unfortunately, most of the stores were closed but we’re assuming they’ll open after Memorial Day.  The town had some nice aspects to it but it wasn’t our favorite.

We walked quite a distance to the other marina which the locals refer to as the jellybean marina because of its garishly colored buildings.  We had a drink at the bar there and we confirmed that we had made the right choice with our town docks. We walked back to Zendo along the road next to the beach and later Jon and Rob went back to that beach for a swim.

We had a decent seafood dinner at the restaurant next to our marina.

Later, Rob and Jon went to a beautifully renovated local bar to watch the hockey finals.  They had made friends with the local bartender earlier in the day.  By the time they returned to Zendo, Lynn was fast asleep.

Hampton, VA

On Tuesday, May 22 we waiting for Adam, our marine electronics tech, to arrive with our new depth transducer. He came by promptly at 10:30 and before too long he and Jonny had it installed.

So right after lunch, she set sail for our next stop - Hampton, VA.  But first we had to traverse our first lock of this journey which we did without incident.  

Shortly thereafter, we arrived at the ever-popular Top Rack Marina where we fueled up and retrieved a package we had mailed there (a new AC control unit). 

From there we cruised for about 3 1/2 hours through Norfolk’s extensive military-industrial complex passing aircraft carriers, destroyers, barges, container ships, etc.

We chose to anchor at the Hampton Town Anchorage across from the City Marina that had a friendly dinghy dock.  We had been to nearby Norfolk and Portsmith on previous journeys but had never been to Hampton. Upon anchoring, the three of us took off in the dinghy for the first time to explore Hampton.  We didn’t get very far - just a quick walking tour in the area adjacent to the dinghy dock.  We saw the impressive Air and Space Museum (from the outside), part of Hampton University, and read about Hampton’s interesting history on a series of plaques in a nearby square.  

There was a conveniently located brew pub on the waterfront where we indulged in some local beers while keeping an eye on Zendo in the nearby harbor.

Afterwards, as it started to get dark, we headed back in the dinghy and Lynn made chile for dinner.  We ate at 9 pm, relatively late for us and while Rob tried his hand at some night time fishing, Jonny and Lynn  hit the sack.  Tomorrow, Cape Charles.