Williamsburg Tour and off shore for 72 hrs.

 

Colonial Williamsburg, VA

Monday,  May 16, 2016

 In front of the Colonial Williamsburg Palace. The British Governor fled when colonials raided and stormed the Palace.

 This maze/labyrinth is over 6 feet tall.  Great fun to walk through.

 English Governor's Crest with French  symbols as well.

 The main street.  In the background is a market with replica items. toys, soaps, etc

 A public shame punishment - the stocks

The Governor's Palace

  We rented a car for Sunday to visit Colonial Williamsburg, a place renovated and reproduced for America by the Rockefeller families and other well to do charitable givers during a time when fortunes used their philanthropy to do parks and public works.  What a wonderful afternoon.  The experience has nudged Drew and I to plan a visit to Plymouth Plantation, MA where, my niece, Rachel, always said, “At Plymouth Plantation they actually live there and live the life of 1620 residents year round.” 

  Williamsburg is pretty incredible, but there is a good deal of hired help who don’t live in the area.  In that sense it isn’t a living museum, albeit many costumed actors perform all day and wait on customers.  When we asked a question, “Who lived in the brick stables with such nice quarters?” – a living room and nice bedroom.  No one was able to answer -- a groom?  The footman?  They aren't immersed in the culture.

   I can see how it might seem bland, but the ways of the Colonials v. the Brits was fascinating: the clothes, implements, gardens, beautiful homes, history … and then there was lunch.
     The Governor's Palace entry room to impress all who came for business; swords and hand guns.

Tour guide of the Governor's Palace

  We ate at one of the several taverns, "Chowdry's" and ordered: stew, a hard apple cider, local beer, and local salad grown there.  Two roving costumed poets captured our attention.  They began by going to each table (about 10 in the room) and with English accents and vocabulary requested one English word, any word from the diners.  Drew gave “pie” which they loved.  They wrote the words in a notebook.  A half hour later they returned with created original poems that they read with great flourish and expression; each to much applause.  Interesting job.  Wish regular restaurants did that.

 Drew and I felt ourselves feeling so comfortable and relaxed in this environment where everything is well made solid and all in colonial style.  Everything is simply made to last. Beauty and design were considerations when making a lock or utilitarian gate.  Since the place is well endowed, developed in the 20s, it has been maintained and improved over the years.

  The Visitors Center, where we entered gave incorrect information about the two museums I wanted to see, Abbey Aldrich Rockefeller Museum of Folk Art (the ticket person said it was closed) and the DeWitt Wallace Furniture Museum.  We found them both. For now they are in one building that had few visitors, no surprise.  The two museums’ artifacts are squashed together in one building.  Some rooms are well done and others have crowded glass cases with porcelain figurines, china and silver jammed in. 

 The large and small dollhouses,

 The hand crafted colonial furniture with fret tops, the grandfather clocks, the room of folk art wind vanes, signs, and carousel animals, two rooms of piano fortes, harpsichords and claviers and the original antique maps held us there for 2 hours scrutinizing and reading.  


The US in 1755, The Mathews Map, a British map.  A French map showed the French owning all land west of the Appalachians to Louisiana and Florida.

I purchased a birdhouse for my new collection in the woods and some stocking stuffers.

  We took a tour of The Governor’s Palace, outside vegetable, herb, floral and labyrinth gardens, and outside kitchen buildings: the kitchen, a smoke house with real meat hanging from the roof and a butcher house.   

We were surprised to see that since the public lives in some of the houses, not just workers, we could have driven into the area and walked around. Restaurants and some buildings are open for all without paying the $40 per person fee when you come in via the Visitors Center.  The fee allows you the tours and museum access. Good to remember.

  After 6 hours we ambled back to the car along the fenced-lined natural dirt path and reentered the land of electricity, TV, cars and pavement. 

  We peeked in at the beautiful Williamsburg Inn. Dillon had recommended drinks on the terrace.  Today no one was out on this slightly chilly (57 degrees) day.

We walked around the outside to see white foxgloved speared gardens with pinx and white snaps accented by just-flowering dogwood trees.  We drove back to Shawnee in Hampton. 

  Drew has the heart app on his Iphone where we found out we walked 10,000 steps or 5 miles.  : )  

 
  Drew ready to leave Hampton:

Now we are 20 miles off Maryland on our way to Cape Cod, Buzzards Bay, Kingman Marine or Parkers in Pocassett.  Should take about 72 hours if we sail and motor.  So far blue skies, sunny and a mild 10 k wind.  Mazu is snug in the aft cabin asleep at my side, no shaking or panting, as I type the blog on "Word."

Bird landed on the boat as it was migrating.

One of the sunrises that predicted rain.  Red sky in morning sailors take warning:
No photo  filters

Tuesday May 17, 2016

The Things They Carried

This what is in our cockpit on any voyage out:

* 3 PFDs, with EPIRD emergency contact to Coast Guard

* 2 sunlotions: 15 for Drew and 70 for me

* OFF insecticide

* dog water bottle

* Ipad running Navionics - a chart plotting and map of the seas    app

* Kindle

* 2 Iphones, Drew’s and mine, usually no service, it has “Word Warp” a game I play endlessly

* The boat log we write in during the trip – 1 book per season

* Fleece blanket
* a turquoise Pashmina
* puffer jackets for the cold and wind

* Rag

* Pillow

* 2 water bottles

* New Yorker

* 2 pairs of binoculars

* 2 gallon red gas container, extra for the dinghy

* 1 blue pail with orange sponge (to clean up after Mazu)

In the cockpit  The turquoise towel is to cover the nav station light at night, Ipad for Navionics trip track:

Food pre-prepared for grab n go on a possibly rocky boat for the 3 day journey:

Egg salad                               canned soups               

Tuna salad                                    instant oatmeal

5 grain salad                          greens for salads

yogurts                                 spam - lite

crackers                                canned deviled ham

cheese sticks                          hard boiled eggs

Zone Bars

Deli meats

Apples, bananas

Cold drinks  Honest T

More on the last leg of the homecoming trip tomorrow.

Yorktown

Now, leaving the other side of Yorktown after a stupendous tour of Yorktown National Park and Battlefield, (concluding battle of the Revolutionary War). The York River Yacht Haven gave us a car for the afternoon since no one was on the list to use it.  Walking would have been better, but the bridge does not allow pedestrians and the marina had no loaner bikes.        

  The Park ranger was a great storyteller and acted out a reenactment of the battle that determined the Yankee win for independence over the British General Cornwallis in October, 1981 by General George Washington.  We are on our way to Hampton on the same York River where the British sunk their merchant fleet to block French Admiral Comte de Grasse from bringing 28 French warships close in to land troops.  It didn’t work, because the French created a siege for 9 days and bombed the heck out of Yorktown from their ships and from land.  Experienced French General Rochambeau on land with Washington was able to completely overwhelm the British. Huzzah!   

Our own walking tour through Yorktown allowed us to see beautiful colonial restored homes, read informational signs about the early colonial days and completely demolish the home-made blackberry cobbler at the River Walk Grill.

The night before at the York River Yacht restaurant we each had 2 drinks, hors d’oeuvres, their signature taco and sandwich.   

 Mazu begging.

Then took a 2 mile walk.

We had a 4 hour motor and 1 hour sail down the Chesapeake back to Hampton 

gray sky, gray green water

Fort Montroe

 nice sail as we were in the middle of a race.

to get see the Reggae Festival (videos didn't transfer) at the next door Mill Park and get ready for the trip north on Tuesday, fingers crossed the weather stays relatively good.  All predictions I take with a grain of salt and instead rely on my Transderm patch that has seen me through all these trips keeping me healthy and feeling fine, fingers crossed.

   But first, today, Sunday, we are renting a car and going to Colonial Williamsburg that used to be pretty nice but Dillon says is worth an hour not an afternoon.  The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and the DeWitt Wallace Furniture Museum and the Palace gardens are my go-to spots for the tour.

Mazu and In-mast furling pin fix at Zimmer

MAZU!!  So many pictures of Mazu are kind of soulful, but here is happy, free Mazu.  She likes being in Hampton, since we are docked walking distance to a large, fenced dog park.  The Reggae Festival will be there May 14th.

 An historic carousel is nearby, reminds me of the one in Hartford, Ct. downtown park.  The boy said the reels played on the pump organ are some of the only copies of that music anywhere.

Drew kept telling me about a particular problem with the in-mast furling gear, and he couldn't figure it out until he took pictures inside the mast with his iphone and saw a pin sticking out.

Mast with boom attached and furling gear inside.  It furls in the main sail from the cockpit so in heavy seas we never leave the cockpit.

close up of the furling gear.

Drew took a picture inside and down the mast and saw this pin sticking out.  Looks slightly bent as well.

 Drilling through the outside of the mast to get a piece in to hammer the pin back in place.

Drew hammered and got it in about 2/3 of the way. 
After much talk we sailed up to Zimmerman to see if they'd help.

 After much talking with Alex and Peter on Monday, the phone rang at 8:00 am Tuesday with rain falling outside, and Peter came out in his dinghy to our boat, took off the sail and went to work.

In two hours he fixed our in-mast furling pin and guards and replaced the sail.   All done in the rain - no wind.  Incredibly, Peter had saved our old furling gear from last summer when he had to fix the bearings that were turned too tightly and damaged.  When he had ordered the bearings, the Charleston Spar Company could not sell him the bearings alone.  We had to buy an entire assembly for $2100+(trend of the future - not to be able to buy parts) .  This, today, allowed him to provide a replacement pin from the left over parts he didn't use.   Monday, I was shocked to walk into one of the huge storage barn and see a box with "Shawnee" scrawled on the side storing all the leftovers. Hurray Zimmerman and Peter.

Here's the bad pin after being taken out, bent after damage.  It was part way out of the hole as you saw above in the picture.  With a special tool, called a drift that comes in different sizes, he put in the new pin.  That did the trick.

  It's always the smallest parts that have the crucial roles in supporting the appliance.

  Onto the Mercury Outboard -- it's leaking gas.  It needs new gaskets Drew will order online and have sent to our next port. 
Since Drew has Sunrise meetings today we won't be able to leave until tomorrow, Wednesday.  So much for sailing/exploring around the Chesapeake for the week. 
  I ha e more to say, but will save it for another blog - "What's in the cockpit when we sail for 4 days and have no phone/Internet service."

Books:  A Little Life: A Novel is turning out to be a pretty gruesome story with pedophiles and cutting, but deep character development that has drawn me in.  Not sure I'd recommend it, though the writing is very good.  Also started Adios, Happy Homeland by Ana Menendez, a novel about Cuba given to me for Mother's Day. : )

"Fun" Saturday Still in Hampton, VA

Daunting Boat fix list that was attacked today (and other days):  

 * We are never getting out of here:  5 days with emails, phone calls and work on the in-mast furling gear that works but has a significant pin out of place.  Serious preventive maintenance on the main sail.  Drew drilled a hole in the mast and tried hammering the pin back in - got it 2/3 of the way. So it goes.

 Drew at helm diving into the Nav station with a heat gun.  Notice all the seats full of stuff.

 * The electrical lines at the Nav station at the helm have corroded and caused intermittent connections giving us intermittent readings while sailing.  Drew opens these places full of wires and spends hours.

closed instruments

 opened to check connections

 * Jack line (see boat vocab) was being soaked in a bucket to rinse out the salt. When I pulled the hose up to the bow the bucket flipped over, and we lost the Jack line in the river.  To try and retrieve the line I dragged the river bottom, 11' deep. I dragged the bottom with the dinghy anchor to try and retrieve the line.  After umpteen tries we did not get it. : (   (We are left with one Jack line to use during the trip back to New England; if we go.)

 * Using the hose to rinse the furling gear on the jib and stay sail on the bow to get rid of all the salt...even after all the rain storms.

 * Upsidedown in the port salon lockers to bail out water caused by a constant slow leak (years old) from the electrical water pump.  Tried to fix but it continues to leak.  Have to open the locker that requires removing all cushions, putting up the table, opening the locker, removing all items from the lockers and putting them all over the salon covering every surface.  Mazu moves from one place to another trying to stay out of our way as we use up all the space with objects.   Bailed, cleaned, and replaced all items in the wet bins.

Usually it's me in this locker, but I can't take a selfie in that position.

It's now 6:30 pm and 63 degrees.  Ready to stop and have a drink/dinner on a Saturday night with a block party a block away the night before Mothers' Day.
Listening to "Isn't She Lovely" and "Dancing in the Streets."  Occasionally dancing with Mazu.

 

In Hampton, Virginia

We headed up the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) to wonderful River Dunes community and marina for a couple of nights (North Carolina).  Mazu was ecstatic to get off the boat and simply run free after 5 days at sea.  The next 3 nights we spent at free spots:  an anchorage at the end of the Alligator River canal, very protected with plenty of space and depth. The next day we crossed the Albemarle Sound up to Elizabeth City, a place we'd heard so much about, but with the exception of the cafe, Muddy Waters, we found the town quiet, friendly, but sad.  The finger piers were the tiniest we'd ever seen, about 7' long.  Bow in, we had to jump off by the anchor!  Many boaters rave about this place because frequently the mayor greets everyone, a man hands out roses to all women, and they have a reception for new arrivals.  The 48 hour free docking is a draw.
  Next day we continued up the Dismal Swamp Canal, pretty, narrow and shallow, 6' at times.  This particular day is kayak day on the canal, and it is dotted with 50 kayakers strung out 12 miles between the Dismal Swamp Canal Visitors Center crossing into Virginia

 dotted with kayakers, looking back.

to the turn off for Lake Drummond.  Kayakers are wandering into the middle of the channel causing frequent delays but fun to see. They are the dots in the picture above.  It was fun thanking them for moving aside and telling them we were coming from Miami on our way to New England, Marblehead, MA. (about 1200 miles)

After waiting for the Deep Creek Bridge opening just before the Deep Creek Lock we came to Elizabeth Dock and 8" of water at the bow (I measured it after we tied up.) We tied up in 6'6" of water per depth sounder.  Can't believe we squeezed in there at the front of 4 boats tied up to the dockside.
It's called Elizabeth Dock, built by a husband in memory of his wife.  It's a great location, a short walk to a market, restaurants, park, nature path and a porta-potty.

Couldn't get any closer to land and float.

Perfect to get the 8:30 am Deep Creek Lock opening the next morning and arrive at High Street Dock in Portsmouth, VA by 10:30 am. 
Shawnee's tell-tale yellow dinghy, Tweety, hanging off the davits.

We again walked to the historic Commodore Theater for lunch and a movie, Disney's "Jungle Book" where Mowgli is a dead ringer for our grandson, Tate - looks, attitude, and speech mannerisms.  Recommend the movie for everyone.  We later ate dinner at a new delicious restaurant, Still, on Court Street, a tapas place with a terrific chef and bar with a huge selection.
We also visited the historic Portsmouth Lightship that had worked off Nantucket, Boston and Portsmouth, VA I believe before becoming mothballed and cemented to this place for tours.

Across the way and on our sail to Hampton - a true sail day - we saw Norfolk's US Navy yard.

Always impressive since these ships line the river for several miles, and the chatter on the VHF is always about submarines arriving "stay 500' off" and other Navy official talk.

We left High Street and headed to Hampton Public Piers to do a little work on the in-mast furling gear that has some weird pin sticking out.  Drew describes it as, "a pin that locks the furling spiral to the extrusion that goes up the mast that the sail is on.  It makes it so that when you pull the sail it furls. Without the pin they aren't coupled properly," and it doesn't work efficiently. The pin is between the vertical inside furling pole and the outside wall of the mast.  So...he had to drill a hole in the mast to try and drive/hammer the pin back in.  It's taking days and lots of emails to Zimmerman Yacht Yard, the last yard that took the mast down in August, '15.  For some reason it hasn't kept the mainsail from working.
  The fun fix was a minor one on top of the mast.  I was hoisted/winched up 54' on the Bosen's chair and took a few pix as did Drew.

 Ready to go up - no fear of heights.

Me at the top.

looking down.

All of Shawnee from the top.

View from the top

The wire I fixed.  It was sticking up.   I took a phone picture and texted it down for Drew to see the problem up close and followed his texted directions.  I clipped the plastic cable tie, pushed the orange wire under the light bracket so it was better protected, and then secured it with another cable tie.  Took 7 minutes.  I enjoyed the view and hanging around.

Light on top of mast with orange wire sticking up.  Before fix:
:

After fix:

Anemometer up close at the top.




















Instead of the sunset we saw this amazing bird on the piling right next to our boat.  I need to look it up to find out what it is;  I think a Night Heron.  Long feather off the top of the head.  So regal. 

Presently reading: A Little Life: A Novel by Hanya Yanagihara,  long book, highly recommend, about 4 males growing up - a lawyer, actor, architect and artist - all always there for each other and how life surprisingly unfolds.
Life with Drew on the boat is conducive to the writer's life.  Love all the reading I can do.
I'm still active as treasurer of two gardening groups and on their Boards - meeting attendance via speaker phone.  At home I attend meetings and help with their missions.
  Today Drew phoned CVS for prescriptions to be available at a local branch we could bike to and do some marketing as well.  Life carries on...