Life On Orion

 We arrived at the inner harbor of Baltimore early Thursday afternoon, got settled and walked to Dan's house with Madison.  From there we went to get some lunch with Dan, Andrea and Claire then went to pick Charlotte up from school.  She didn't know we would be there, so it was a good surprise! Andrea made a yummy dinner and we celebrated a late Mother's Day and an early Father's Day.  When you move around like we do you have to have those celebrations when you can... Friday morning was spent getting the boat ready for the holiday weekend trip to Rock Hall on the eastern shore of MD, provisioning and loading everyone's "stuff" onto the boat.  We had planned to leave Baltimore around 3 pm, but the weather was quickly deteriorating and we moved it up to noon.  Even with that, we didn't make it...  After an hour of getting out of Baltimore and almost into the Chesapeake Bay, visibility dropped dramatically and winds picked up, so we did the smart thing an

 We arrived yesterday afternoon at Bay Bridge Marina on Kent Island in MD. We are at the foot of the Bay Bridge over to Annapolis and it is beautiful to look at.  Our marina is gorgeous with all the amenities you could want, including a big, beautiful pool. We spent the rest of the afternoon yesterday doing some cleaning and maintenance and then met some friends for dinner.  Ryan Silbaugh is the boat captain that took our boat from Croton on Hudson to Baltimore last fall when we were too new and inexperienced to navigate that section and I will always be grateful that we found him. We intend to keep in touch so he and his wife Anna, along with Ruby, age 2, joined us for a nice dinner outside on the patio a short 10 minute walk from our boat.  It was great catching up and re-connecting. Today was laundry day and getting the boat ready to have Daniel and his family on board for the weekend. It is graduation week at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, so we were able to see the Blue Angels pe

When you decide to make a boat your home you soon realize that there are little items of repair or upkeep that are never-ending - just like a dirt home. We woke up to high winds, grey skies and sporadic rain showers, so it seemed like a perfect day to knock off some of those things. We started the day off with an early morning walk to West Marine about a mile or so from the marina, and although the weather was less than perfect, it was a good morning for a walk.  After a quick lunch Tom tackled the re-screening of the windows on the starboard side of the boat. We removed the frames, ripped out the old screening and he started washing the frames off on the dock.  Before I could get outside to start cleaning the window tracks themselves, I heard a knocking on the window and Tom was trying to tell me something. No other way to tell this other than to just go ahead and say that one of the three frames slipped through his fingers - right down through one of the cracks between dock boards an

 After an 8 hour journey through the Chesapeake Bay we are at the Harbor Island Marina at Solomon's.   We stayed here last fall on our "boat delivery" so it feels a little familiar and it's a nice place.  We left Deltaville at 7 am since we knew we would have a longer day and for the first hour and a half we were the only boat out there.  While it was nice not to deal with boat traffic, it was a little weird and made us wonder just for a moment if everyone else knew something we didn't... The bay was calm and we had minimal crab pots to deal with so we drove the boat from the flying bridge again.  We did decide that it wears us out doing that for long trips, because you are in the fresh air, sun and wind all day long.  We waited so long for beautiful weather - I guess we have to be careful what we ask for! And Madison clearly enjoys herself up there.... After a late bite to eat and a beverage at the Tiki Bar, we are staying on the boat and being lazy.  Tomorrow wi

We have a 5 hour cruise today to Deltaville, VA and are currently at the Regatta Point Yachting Center tied up to one of their long docks. We piloted the boat from the flying bridge for the first time and used the new navigation equipment.  Quite a heady experience. The weather was perfect to be outside for the trip, but being out in the fresh air with all the sun and wind whipped our butts. We are going to bed early like a couple of old folks.... This marina is really nice, but far away from the actual town, so there are no stores or restaurants within reach. We ordered pizza for delivery on the recommendation of the dock master and spent some time sitting on the porch of the clubhouse in the comfy rocking chairs watching the boats go in and out of the harbor.  It's a busy place with all the fishing boats and cruisers. Tomorrow will be a much longer cruising day, so we plan to pull out of here at 7 am to head into Maryland. We will miss Virginia, but it feels good to be making som

 We stayed one last day in Hampton to get the new navigation systems up and running, give the boat a bath and plan our next few days.  One last long walk to the beach and through the pretty neighborhood here and it's off to Deltaville tomorrow!

 Wednesday and Thursday of this week was spent having technicians aboard installing new electronics.  We have 3 new Raymarine navigation screens, new Doppler Radar and AIS (boat identification system so others can see you on their systems). They literally had to tear the inside of the boat apart, so we slept Wednesday night staring up at an open cavity filled with wires.  Keeping Dewey out of the bowels of the boat was the fun game we played that night.  Those cats want to explore everything! These electronics have been on order for a couple of months, so we are very relieved to have them installed so we can get on with our loop!

 Started out the day by replacing the screening and rubber gaskets for the windows on the port side of the boat and it is so much brighter in here. Feels good to have good screens with no holes or sagging - now we're ready for the bugs....  The starboard windows will have to wait until we are in a slip where the dock is on that side. We spent the rest of the day going to Historic Jamestown and toured museums, the historic settlement and observed the excavations still being done.  Tom loved the history of the area and I have to say, I enjoyed it too. Lunch at a cute cafe, a couple of gift shops and we headed back to Hampton.  The microwave oven quit working a couple of days ago, so our day included a stop at Best Buy for a new one. You don't realize how often you want to use a microwave until you don't have one... Tomorrow the new electronics installation begins, so I'm looking forward to that!

Today we met Tom's cousin Beth and her husband Mike for lunch in Hampton. The restaurant, Deadrise, was right on the water at Fort Monroe and we had a lovely meal outside with a view.  We have been so fortunate to be able to re-connect with Beth and Mike and look forward to when we get back this way. An afternoon filled with running errands rounded out our day and I got some laundry done too. 

 We rented a car and picked it up this morning. Took a day trip to Yorktown - had a nice brunch and toured battlefields and museums before driving back to the boat. History is one of Tom's passions, so he really enjoyed himself.  We spent quite a while at the museum and then drove through the actual battlefields and walked some of them. Historic Yorktown was quaint and filled with history. We finished off the day by visiting the beach and marina area of town and had our fill of walking!

We have moved back across the Chesapeake to Hampton VA and are in Salt Ponds Marina, where the advertised Wi-Fi is spotty at best, so I have been unable to blog.  I will catch you up and post if it lets me... Friday - We left Cape Charles around 9 am after getting a pump-out and had a somewhat "uncomfortable" crossing of the bay. (I discovered this is code for "I think I feel a little seasick") Winds weren't bad and the waves were only 1-2 feet, but they were hitting us on the beam (on the side of the boat) which made for a lot of rolling around.  Both animals were feeling poorly, but no throwing up! We got into our slip here at Salt Ponds around noon and were tired and hungry, so decided to get an Uber and get some lunch. Big mistake...  We had an Uber ride with a mad Russian only to have the worst meal I can remember.  Argh.... Saturday - We spent a lazy day around the boat after an early morning walk on the beach.  Madison was unimpressed, but it was a beauti

Our last full day in Cape Charles was a warmer one with lots of sunshine. We did some washing of the boat outside and lots of window cleaning. Another trip in the courtesy van - this time to the hardware store 7 miles down the road where we purchased a roll of window screening and the other materials to replace the screens on the 6 salon window.  Sun and weather are hard on them and they are starting to show wear.  I sure want good screens before full blown bug season! We got new marina neighbors late this afternoon - 6 sailboats arrived from the Baltimore area so we got to meet new people.  Madison had a first today....  She is now apparently so comfortable getting on and off the boat that she got off by herself when we forgot to close the door on the rear cockpit and was sauntering up the dock greeting people as she went.  Fortunately Tom looked for her right away and we spotted her brown rear end disappearing toward the parking lot before we lost her for real.  Lesson learned - we n

The weather today was grey, windy and cold - I'm over it! We had the heat running inside the boat and hardly poked our noses out all day. I can hardly remember complaining about how hot it was in AZ - I could use a little of that right now... We did take a walk to the Post Office to pick up a flat-rate box to ship oil samples in for analysis, and Madison got a long walk out of the deal, but otherwise we stuck close to "home".  The valve replacement on the fuel line was completed this morning, so all systems should be "go" for our departure from here on Friday. We had our last Bear Creek soup for dinner tonight, so the timing was good.  Tom said it was like putting your last log on the fire - we hope there will be no soup days in our immediate future! Madison and Dewey practiced lounging on the boat today and I have to say we joined them.  

 The last two days have been spent taking care of necessary business on the boat.  We had a couple of guys from the Cape Charles Yacht Center, next to the marina here, come do some maintenance yesterday and today.  They changed the oil in the main engine and transmission and checked a squeaky belt and a leaking fuel fitting.  The fitting needs to be replaced, so that should be done tomorrow and the belt is fine. Tom washed the outside of the boat again today since we finally had a sunny, reasonably warm day. Tomorrow - polishing the stainless steel trim and railings... We were able to take the courtesy van from the Yacht Center and make a grocery store run, so we are once again stocked with food and beverage! I got brave (or desperate) and put a load of clothes into the washer/dryer on board and so far, so good.  No flooding or other catastrophes! Mid-afternoon we decided to walk back into town (using the downtown crossing) and stopped in at Kelly's for a beer and some nachos. The

 We spent the weekend exploring and eating our way through Cape Charles and it did not disappoint. Downtown is filled with shops, bakeries, ice cream stores and quaint hotels and we visited most of them! There is a darling bookstore where Tom wanted to camp out and right next door we had the best pizza we have had since leaving AZ.  We have also spent lots of time walking through the neighborhoods where most of the houses are on the historic register and have been updated and well cared for.  We even discovered Central Park with a very old gazebo and beautiful fountain.  Madison is a huge fan of this exploration as she gets long walks out of the deal. Saturday evening we had Happy Hour on the front veranda of one of the hotels and met some "loopers" on the way back to the boat who invited us to join them on their boat for some wine and conversation.  Such nice people we are meeting on this journey... Yesterday for Mother's Day we ate at the Shanty, right near the marina a

 Today was the day when the wind was supposed to die down and we could travel the 32 miles from Norfolk to Cape Charles.  I had no idea what a smorgasbord of "Oh S*#@ts" it would be.... We left the marina at 7 am with perfectly calm winds and smooth seas and threaded our way out of the busy harbor dotted with barges, tug boats and an assortment of navy vessels.  The first inkling I had that something big was happening was seeing a Navy escort boat, complete with 2 armed gentlemen approaching us at a 45 degree angle and nudging us out of the channel.  Turns out that a submarine was coming back into port and no boaters are allowed anywhere near.  I've never seen a sub in the water and up close, so it was exciting! I was just starting to relax and enjoy the ride when I spotted my first crab pot directly in front of us.  Are you kidding me?!?!  I hate those things! Fortunately, we only had a few stringers of them and with me spotting them, Tom threaded us through perfectly. 

 We've had a couple of fun days "hangin' out" in Norfolk.  The Marina provides free taxi service to Harris Teeter for grocery shopping, so we went yesterday with another looper couple and provisioned, then did some cleaning on the boat and had our very first docktails with our fellow loopers!  Honestly, everyone we meet is so nice and it's great to connect with folks who have the same dream that you have. Today we toured the USS Wisconsin which is part of the nautical museum next door to the marina and that was fascinating.  Dinner downtown with boat neighbors and some socializing before calling it a night.  Tomorrow is supposed to be quite windy, so we will stay here one more day before heading out.  😀

 Day one after our long sabbatical is under our belts and it was a good day.  After fueling up and getting a pump-out in Chesapeake, we left Atlantic Yacht Basin and headed here to Norfolk.  One lift bridge, one lock and lots of Navy carriers later, we docked without incident here at Waterside Marina.  I have to say - it felt good to be back at it, and apparently it IS like riding a bike!  We are right downtown Norfolk, so it is a 10 minute walk to shops, breweries and restaurants. We were lazy this afternoon, watched a short thunderstorm roll through and took Madison on a couple of short walks.  We hope to see some of the sights here tomorrow and enjoy the sunshine.

 We are finally back on board Orion and ready to start our great loop.  As you might remember the plan was to return the week after New Year's, but let me tell you why that did not happen...  😒 My mom was undergoing treatment for bladder cancer and was hospitalized in early December for what turned out to be a 2 month ordeal. We decided to remain in Wisconsin for a couple more weeks so I could make sure she was doing ok, when on Jan. 6th I slipped on the ice, did a complete seat drop and fractured a vertebrae. As the Ortho doc put it - I broke my back.  I ended up in a back brace, using a walker and eventually having a procedure where they injected bone cement in the fracture, effectively curing the break.  This all took 6 weeks and the week after my surgery mom came home so Tom and I stayed with her to help her transition to independent living again. Once again, we were off!  We left Feb. 11th for Baltimore with a rented SUV packed to the gills with our belongings and a dog and a