Mei Winti

Chesapeake Bay, North Carolina to Georgia incl ICW
URLhttps://liveicomgrshot.blob.core.windows.net/occfiles/Archive/images/stories/members_pics/PeterHoggins_USA.pdf

This was originally hosted on the CIC but has been moved onto the Forum

A HOT SUMMER CRUISING (PART OF) THE EAST COAST OF THE USA (2007)

RIDING THE GULF STREAM

As with all things in yachting, making the passage from the Bahamas to the Southern USA is all a matter of timing. We waited and waited for the unseasonable northerly winds to abate, drinking in the last of the delights of uncluttered anchorages in the northern Exhumas. After a few unscheduled weeks Mei Wenti was almost out of food and water so when our chance finally came we headed quickly north, via the Berry Islands into the swift current of the Gulf Stream. The winds were perfect, the weather was perfect and with the current adding 3 knots to our speed we covered over 200 miles in one day! Perfect. Meanwhile, in the Gulf of Mexico, Tropical Storm Dean was building himself up and we looked anxiously over our shoulders at his track hoping that we would reach the safe harbour of Charleston, South Carolina before he caught us up. We arrived at 8:00am on 1 June, TS Dean arrived at 9:30. Close enough.

SOUTHERN COMFORT

After a long passage there are always good reasons to dally in port a bit longer and Charleston provided the ideal excuse with the internationally acclaimed Spolito Arts Festival. We gorged ourselves on a diet of concerts and exhibitions whilst savouring the wonders of the charming, historic city. Of course the winds were perfect for a passage north, but what the heck…

DITCH CRAWLING

When we eventually decided to leave the wind was predictably on the nose so we decided to take advantage of some of the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) or The Ditch. Originally constructed in the 1800’s the ICW links rivers, protected bays and estuaries with man made canals and provides a sheltered coastal route all the way from Texas to New York and is capable of accommodating large commercial vessels. A passage along the ICW is an amazing experience; at times a dense ‘Amazonian’ jungle, at others a window into the manicured estates of the super rich.

We loved our passage through the Great Dismal Swamp where the overhanging branches of the Swamp Cyprus Trees almost brushed our rigging and snakes meandered across water as dark as stewed tea. One of the first explorers described it as a ‘vast wilderness of nastiness and dirt’, but we loved it!

Only a few miles after leaving the Great Dismal Swamp we arrived in Norfolk, Virginia where the US Navy has a massive repair yard. We counted six, yes six, nuclear powered aircraft carriers and countless other warships. The military muscle of the US is staggering!

The first thing we bought in the US was a field guide to American birds. Imagine our delight when a few days later we spotted something big and exciting perched on a channel marker. ‘Could it be, no, yes its an Osprey!’ We circled and watched; much to the consternation of passing boaters. ‘’Wow’ we thought, ‘how lucky’. About another half mile up river we came across another nest. Double lucky. About another half mile… you get the picture. It seems that every marker on the ICW has a resident osprey family.

In North Carolina we came across Camp Lejeune, which strangely enough is not a person but a place. In fact it is a huge US Marine Corps Training area. Transiting the firing ranges is exciting stuff, even more exciting is anchoring for the night in a side creek and finding rehearsals for WWIII taking place around you.

HOT AND STICKY IN CHESAPEAKE BAY




Norfolk VA is at the southern end of the Chesapeake Bay, a drowned valley which stretches 150 miles north to beyond Baltimore. We made arrangements in the small yachting centre of Deltaville to have Mei Wenti hauled out later in the year for the winter. Chesapeake Bay is a glorious cruising ground with countless miles of coastline, hundreds of anchorages and beautiful rural scenery. However in the months of July and August it is purgatory! Temperatures of 32C+, high humidity, no wind and frequent violent thunderstorms do not make for happy cruising. We motored more or less swiftly to the northern exit via the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to Delaware Bay and points north. However unexpected news from home that Pete’s parents were not too well made us change our plans quickly. We made arrangements for hauling and storing Mei Wenti ashore at Gregg Neck Boatyard on the Sassafras River and we flew back to help out at home in the UK for five weeks.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Back in the USA in September we sailed to Cape May, New Jersey via the Delaware Bay. Our plan was to get to New York in time to meet up with our Aussie friends who were passing through on their way to watch (Australia get knocked out of) the rugby world cup in France.

With time running out and unfavourable winds predicted we left Mei Wenti in the care of the friendly Cape May CYC and caught a Greyhound bus from Atlantic City into central Manhattan. We spent four hectic days touring art galleries and museums, and having a wonderful time as you do with old friends. New York was everything that we thought it would be – big, noisy and glamorous!

AT HOME WITH UNCLE SAM

Given our colonial history you could be forgiven in thinking that Americans might not like the British too much. Just north of Norfolk is Yorktown where the American Revolutionary army (along with the pesky French) beat the forces of the British and effectively ended His Majesty’s rule. No doubt they must have been pleased to see the back of us.

In contrast the welcome that we have received has been overwhelming and we are constantly humbled by the warmth and hospitality of complete strangers. We have made some wonderful new friends.

CRABS, CRABS AND MORE CRABS



Chesapeake Bay is famous for the Blue Crab. Something like 6000 tons are consumed every year and just about every village has a crab house where you can indulge yourself. It’s quite an art to find all the good bits to eat and probably on balance you expend more energy in shelling the little blighters then you gain from eating them. Catching all these crabs requires a lot of crab pots and the whole of the bay is littered with only just visible marker floats which provide a challenge for the unwary mariner.

FALL ON THE CHESAPEAKE



As everyone knows, THE time to sail on the Chesapeake is the Fall. The days are cooler and the trees are changing colour. The sound of Loons drifts through the morning mist and wedges of migrating geese fill the sky. We took time to explore the rural east coast of the bay and enjoyed deserted anchorages amid evocative marshes and tree-clad shore-lines. Wildlife is abundant; where else could you experience a deer swimming past your boat!

For yachties the Annapolis Boat Show in early October is a must do and we were fortunate enough to be able to visit it along with some local friends. After a day looking at ‘stuff’ and posh new boats we returned to Mei Wenti ‘what more do we need, she’s perfect for us’ we reflected.

A TIGHT SQUEEZE

How do you fit a boat with a beam of 16’2” into a boat-slip with a width of 16’2”? The answer is slowly, with a bit of squeaking from both the boat and the owners!

On our trip up through Chesapeake Bay we had decided that we would like to lay up in the superb (and surprisingly reasonable) Deltaville Boatyard. After a lot of measuring and a trial run we found we could just fit but it was with baited breath that we did it for real and hauled out on the last day of October just in time for the Halloween pumpkinfest!

We’re now enjoying life in the yard and getting on with the list of jobs which every year seems to get longer. Our plan is to spend the winter travelling by land around the USA.