Ocean Snow: Week 4

We made it past halfway, and the excitement is real!

DAY 22

Dec. 3rd

We left Cape May, NJ late. It was Monday and we could'n get the diesel we needed until 8 a.m. when the marina would open. It was 9 a.m. by the time we set on own way. The next stop would be Virginia.

I took the helm at 10 a.m. for 2 hrs as we crossed the Delaware Bay.

I'm beginning to feel the warmth, I feel lighter, literally. I'm only wearing one fleece underneath the bright orange windbreaker instead of three or four layer beneath. The Sun was bright and its heat on my face felt amazing. At the end of my watch, we got some big rolling waves, they were fun, not scary. There's almost no wind blowing, so we're motoring between 5 and 8 kts. Flying!

I'm skipping some details here, but at some point I started to feel very tired. I was shivering and a terrible headache kept my eyes shut. Mike took over my watches as night fell. Needless to say, it was a very long day. We arrived at an anchorage in Chincoteague, VA at 11 p.m. The wind was howling and I slept like a rock. Throughout all this, we thought we were still in Delaware, until the next morning when we checked the map and realized we were indeed in Virginia.

DAY 23

Dec. 4th

Once again, we got a late start. It was 8 a.m. when Mike took the first watch. We agreed to do 1 hr shifts. On my second shift, at 11 a.m., I figured we could turn off the motor (we had been motor-sailing with the jib). The wind was perfect for us, blowing from behind on the starboard side, NNW at 10 to 15 kts. Our sailing speed was between 5 and 9 kts during 5 hrs, and we didn't tack once.

That night, we would anchor in Kiptopeke Beach, VA behind a seawall formed by intentionally sunken ships. It was dark as we motored towards the anchorage. I was at the helm and Mike was keeping a lookout from the cockpit, too. We were probably 1/4 mile from our destination when Mike yelled, "stop the boat!" I slowed it down as he reached to shift the gears into neutral. I was about to hit a bunch of pilings. They weren't marked in any chart, they didn't show on the radar, and I did not see them in the dark.

It was such a frighting experience.

Mike took the helm for then on, and I got a flashlight right away shining into the night. There were pilings all around us, and awfully close. Thank goodness Mike saw them when he did, because things could've ended up very badly.

When we finally got to the anchorage, I thought it was the creepiest thing. The seawall made it look like a ships' graveyard, and after the almost-crash, I felt uneasy.

At sunrise the anchorage morphed from creepy to astonishingly beautiful.

DAY 24

Dec. 5th

Destination: Norfolk, VA only 5 hrs from the no-longer-creepy anchorage.

On the way to Norfolk, the sky turned gray, the wind got colder, and rain came. That was when, as Mike steered, a Coast Guard boat approached us. We were getting boarded. It was just a safety check, and we had all the safety equipment required. The two guards were friendly and agreed to take a photo with us. Shortly after they left our sailboat, it began to snow.

Mike stayed at the helm until we arrived to Norfolk, I admire his determination. The snow was beautiful as it reached the sea, very cinematic. There were big military ships lining the coast, partly hidden by fog as the snow got heavy.

We arrived to the Waterfront Marina at 2 p.m. That evening we took city bus 45 and went to the supermarket.

Thimble Shoal Light

Snowy Ocean

Mike Quantrell at the helm

Snow and Sail

DAY 25

Dec. 6th

Slow morning. We'll be spending some time away from the sea, but not away from water. For safety reasons, we decided to take the Intracoastal Waterway from Norfolk, VA to Beaufort, NC. We will first get to the Dismal Swamp Canal, continue to the Alligator River, then the Pungo River, into the Pamlico River, followed by a series of canals.

We left Norfolk at 1:30 p.m. and headed to the mouth of the Dismal Swamp. Before getting there, we had to go under Bridge #7 Railroad Bridge. Because it doesn't have much height, we called the bridge attendant on the radio at 2:30 p.m. asking him to raise it up for us. The attendant said that the bridge was undergoing maintenance until, at least, 5 p.m. So he couldn't lift it.

We had no choice other than to wait, so we anchored close to Bridge #7 for a couple hours. We were a little bummed out because we would miss the Dismal Swamp's Deep Creek Lock's last opening at 3:30 p.m. No big deal, we would do it the next morning.

At 5 p.m,. we went under Bridge #7, made a sharp right, and entered the Dismal Swamp Canal. It was very narrow, with houses and nature lining its banks. We staged (anchored) just outside the Deep Creek Lock that night and waited for its 8:30 a.m. opening on the following day.

DAY 26

Dec. 7th

At 8 a.m. the lock's attendant called us on the radio (very unusual). He let us know that we should set up a starboard tie-up with fenders, and 20 ft long bow and stern lines. Lucky for us, it had all been done the night before. Mike pulled up the anchor, which was covered in swampy mud, and we headed to the lock.

The attendant, Robert, turned out to be friendly, talkative, and very knowledgeable. A kind man, I dare say. He told us he had been working at that lock for 24 years, and continued to give us a history lesson about the Dismal Swamp Canal. After a lot of taking and sharing, Robert asked us to bring him a conch shell for his collection whenever we passed through there again. That's when I realized he had dozens of them lining the grass surrounding the lock house. Robert continued to give us a professional demonstration of how to play the conch shell. He placed his lips up to the shell and played an entire song! It was very cool.

We travelled all day until we made it to Elizabeth City, NC where we stayed at a free dock for the night.

DAY 27

Dec. 8th

We were up before the crack of dawn and ready to continue traveling south on the Intracoastal Waterway. From Elizabeth City, we went to Alligator, NC where we filled up Aquila's marine diesel tank. It's always good to be topped off and have a bit extra diesel on the side... just in case.

We proceeded to go under a swing bridge and entered the Alligator River which is also a wildlife preserve. I saw many eagles flying from one river bank to the other, perching on trees. It's a narrow river, we had to be very mindful of staying in the middle to get enough water depth. The Alligator River is so beautiful, and so vast. I'm glad areas like this one are protected, let's keep it that way.

Nightfall came at 5:30 p.m., Mike offered to finish this leg of the trip in the dark. I'm sure I'll feel up to it (being at the helm at night) after a little while. The scare with the pilings a few days ago really got to me.

Oh, I almost forgot, this afternoon was the fist time that I put the jib out and steered at the same time. It felt so good, and it was my call to use the jib, too. I'm getting better at this every day, an assurance that I'm not too late to learn something new.

While Mike "drove," I meditated (first time in years!) I used a method proposed by Ken Wilber in his book "Integral Meditation." I sat on my yoga mat, closed my yes, and went for it. As directed, I combined the stages of awakening with models of human development. I was very surprised that, when I opened my eyes, only 10 minutes had gone by. It felt like so much longer, I could've sworn I meditated for at least 30 minutes. Little by little, step by step, I'll be able to meditate for longer.

At some point earlier today, I felt like I just wanted to rest and not be at the helm. The feeling passed , but I wonder why I felt that way. After all, I'm doing something outstanding and amazing along with Mike. Perhaps I'm feeling a bit trapped by this undertaking. I want more space to move my body, I need more me time, I guess...I miss my privacy. These feelings have little to do with Mike. He's always very respectful of my space and encourages me to do as I please. The feeling I'm getting comes from within. It's like I have a volcano inside that's ready to erupt. It's not anger, it's a ton of energy that needs to be released. It's physical energy, creative energy, intellectual energy, and curious energy. All ready to be released.

We arrived to Belhaven, NC at 9 p.m. and tied onto the town dock. Winter storm, Diego, will be passing through tomorrow.

DAY 28

Dec. 9th

I've been awake since 7 a.m., it's now 8 a.m. and Mike is still sleeping. He must've been tired! This is the first time I'm up before him. Good for him, he deserves to sleep in.

It rained all morning and the wind howled. It's meant to stay this way for a couple of days.