Have been in stealth mode for the last couple of weeks - partially self-imposed and partially enforced by circumstance. Since my last post was uploaded from the Apple Store in Norfolk, Follyfin and her crew have been very active: sight-seeing, meeting people, making passage either with no wind or contrary wind and … spending a week with son no. 1 Warren, daughter-in-law Lara and their family, who took an AirB&B house on the Chesapeake Bay coast at the pre-arranged rendezvous of Reedville, Virginia. Of course I had assumed that (a) I would have plenty of time to compose and post about our happenings from the previous week, and (b) these switched-on, always-connected millennials would have good strong wifi in their rented house. Both wrong!! So even if I had had time to write the text, I would not have been able to post it.
Never mind. We had a great time with grandchildren Noah (3.5) and Bella (2), who are a full-time occupation, both on the beach and on the boat, so no time for creative writing anyway.
Though conditions were not right for taking the family out for a sail aboard Follyfin, they loved the dinghy ride out and back when they came for tea on a sunny Sunday evening.
Three generations of Bennett Boys
Our departure from Norfolk a couple of weeks back was delayed partly by the weather - we had a cold spell and northerly winds which are not good when one wants to sail north - and partly because we wanted to enjoy the annual ‘Harborfest’ weekend in Norfolk. Tall ships, little ships, war ships dress overall and congregate in the harbour. We had a prime location to view some of them on their way there, as well as the fantastic firework display on Saturday night which alone was worth the delay. A Bahamian steel band complete with colourful dancers processed through the park area to kick the celebrations off.
Finally on Sunday 9 June we bid farewell to Greta and Gary, the OCC (Ocean Cruising Club) port officers in Norfolk on whose dock we had been berthed, and headed north up the Chesapeake Bay, past the large US Navy establishment with its many menacing fighting vessels berthed in readiness for anything.
Our destination was Yorktown, scene of General Cornwallis’ and the British surrender to George Washington and the Americans in the war of Independence. Mind you, it did take them 100 years to erect a fitting monument to the event! We can recommend the almost brand-new Museum of American Independence in Yorktown. We could have spent a couple of days there and still not ‘done’ it all.
That same evening we met up with a fellow CA (Cruising Association) member in the same anchorage as us so celebrated in the time-honoured way. We had been tracking each other since in the southern Bahamas. But next day we turned north again to Fishing Bay, Deltaville on the Northern Neck peninsula, and witnessed yet another splendid sunset.
The rivers and land features in the parts have some curious names, mainly derived from when the native Indians were the most numerous inhabitants, e.g. Rappahannock, Corrotoman, Potomac, Patuxent, Piankatank, Wicomico, and Point No Point, Stingray Point and many more. On a small creek off the Corrotoman River, Follyfin was honoured to be the first visiting boat to berth on a brand new private dock belonging to Lydia and Bill, OCC stalwarts who had recently hosted an OCC rally to which 25 boats had joined. Follyfin was supposed to be one of them but her crew’s gale experience further south had prevented her arriving on time.
Follyfin (port) and Dragon Run (starboard; our hosts’ yacht).
Nevertheless we were made very welcome at their beautiful home, which has waterfront on two sides,
and were helped a good deal as we caught a lift into town for some essential provisioning. Lydia and Bill also introduced us to soft shell crabs at a local restaurant. Amazingly you eat the whole thing, claws and all! The local oysters were also excellent.
From there we headed north again to Reedville to meet up with the family...which brings me right back to the beginning. Annapolis will be our next major stop and we are on our way there now.
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