Tuesday, May 20, 2008

A Rough Chesapeake

Monday, May 19th, we were underway from Portsmouth by 7:30am. We passed by all the huge ship harbors, both military and private. There were many police and Coast Guard boats --several with machine guns on their bows--guarding all the entries into the various harbors, a glaring and somber reminder of the impact that 9-11 has had on all of us, especially boaters. Newport News Shipbuilders--the largest non military ship building company in the US--where my brother Jay works--employs over 20,000 people. It is an awesome, sprawling property covering over 57 blocks in Newport News and the company is in the process right now of building 2 air-craft carriers and 1 submarine. Huge--just imagine!

We began our journey up the west shore of the Chesapeake with 2-3 foot seas. Not bad for the Bella Luna. But once we got out into more open water, the seas went to 3-5. A very rough ride!! "Buddy" was inside the cabin holding on for dear life when our dining table fell over--poor thing, he must have been really scared then. The wind was "side-to", which made the boat roll "big-time" from port to starboard most of the trip--not an easy ride. But all 3 boats made it safely here into Deltaville--Dozier's Marina. After all of us got 2 good hits from the moonshine jar, our nerves were steadied and we were ready to get the heavy salt spray off our boats.

We're all tired from the beating we took yesterday and Dozier's Marina is a great spot to stay put for a couple of days. They have wonderful guest facilities, a courtesy car, a pretty pool (although it's still a little early for the bathing suits!), and a nice Captain's Lounge. Easy Wi-Fi too. As it is not a pretty day to travel (rain), we plan to use their car today, see a little of the area and get groceries. The guys will probably go to West Marine--a boater's best friend.

Wednesday, we hope to travel up to Solomons, Va. We're hoping to get pictures put into this blogspot very soon. Geni, HELP!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey! I've got comments working now... so anyone should be able to post a response to your blog.
Love you bunches ~ Geni

Anonymous said...

We are enjoying following your progress on the Bella Luna. We are heading for HOOP POLE CREEK this week end.Will miss seeing you but are also jealous of your new adventure. Every time we pet Gracie we think of Buddy hanging on and braving the high seas. Don't forget to take your Vitamin C......Doug,Terry and Gracie