Day 1 

We were off the dock this morning at just about 7 a.m.  It was a beautiful morning with crisp air and a gentle breeze.  As we motored around the point and into Lankford Bay, we could feel the wind picking up a little bit, but at that point is was from behind so it didn’t bother us too much until we rounded Eastern Neck Island on the way to Kent Narrows.  If you weren’t  sitting down and below the wind screen, it was quite brisk. Temps in the morning when we woke up were in the low 40’s. So at 8:00 it wasn’t much warmer and with the wind, … chilly.  We made it through Kent Narrows without incident, and the bridge went up on demand, so no waiting.  I called the tender on the radio and he had the bridge up for us when we got there.  Didn’t even have to slow down.   The ride down Eastern Bay was without incident then into the Chesapeake.  Had the wind in our faces and a little chop on the Bay, then it got overcast and the wind picked up some more.  The chop got a little….choppier, and it was getting a little cool, so we opted to move below and operate from the lower helm station.  We did this for a couple hours, then the sun popped out again, the wind died down and the Bay smoothed out.  We went back up to the bridge and it was quite pleasant the rest of the day.  We are now in Mill Creek at Solomons Md.  Arriving sometime around 3:30 or 4:00.  The sun was getting lower on the horizon when we anchored.  Shorter days.  We still made it about 70 miles or so in around 7 hrs. and 30 mins. 

Until tomorrow.

The Morning Sun over Lankford Bay

Following another trawler into the Patuxent River as the sun started to get lower on the horizon

Day Zero

Well, it's been quite a long time since I last posted to this blog.  I am preparing to do the return trip to Florida for the winter months.  When we bought the boat 3+ years ago, that was the original intent. But as "life is what happens while you are making other plans", (a little John Lennon reference) it hasn't happened yet. So this year a friend and myself will be leaving around November 16th and heading south.  We intend to stop in Brunswick Ga. and return home for the holidays to be with friends and family.  After the first of the year another friend and myself will return to the boat and continue southward. I hope to update the blog regularly, depending on internet access of course.

It seems as if I have been working on the boat most of the time since we put it back in the water this spring getting it ready for several months of "cruising".  This is what I accomplished thus far.

1. Bottom work - blister repair and anti-fouling paint.
2. Heads rebuilt - Put new macerator motors impellers and grinders in both heads.
3. Replaced the reverse cycle AC/Heat unit in the forward stateroom.
4. Replaced the CQR anchor with a new 55# Rocna Vulcan.
5. Replaced the old windlass with a new Lewmar reversing self feeding windlass.  No more manually pulling and feeding the chain rode into and out of the chain locker.
6. Replaced one of the drain hoses from the flybridge that runs through the aft cabin ceiling, hanging lockers and into the salon wall to the engine room.  That was quite a job, dropping the head liner in the aft cabin, removing the ceiling in the hanging lockers,  rebuilding one section of the headliner, and ceiling supports that had rotted out from moisture, and reassembling it all together. Even had to cut an access port in the step riser to the flybridge to access the drain fitting.  Ugh!
7. Applied tank sealer to the forward belly fuel tank - This required draining, cleaning, and acid washing the inside of the tank before applying the sealer.  All on my belly.  That was an ugly job.  I hope it works !
8. Serviced both engines and generator - new impellers, oil changes, filters, fuel filters etc.
9. New bimini cover - the other one got ripped up in a wind storm.
10. Replaced the oil cooler on the starboard engine - The multi cooler began leaking and the oil cooler section had corroded beyond repair. Needed to be replaced, including the tube bundle.
11. Replaced oil lines on the starboard engine which had begun to leak.
12. Recaulked/sealed the windshield glass and frame screw moldings.
13. Did a short haul to clean the bottom, and put on fresh zincs.

Now I hope I am prepared for the trip, and winter in Fla. The dinghy is loaded, water tank is full, fuel saddle tanks are full, provisioning starts Monday, packing and move on to the boat Tuesday, and leave at sun up on Wednesday.  Most of the trip is in shorter increments than when I came north, the days are shorter now than they were then, so we will average about 50 miles a day or so.

Hope you can follow along.

Rogue ICW Day 22

I'm Baaaaaack.  After 1499 miles we docked at Lankford Bay Marina this afternoon. After a pumpout we tied up in the slip that will be home to Rogue.  My wife, and Rousby's wife Cathy were there to greet us and help tie up. Some other friends Tom and Lisa also joined us and we had a small celebration and relaxed on the back deck.  After a short while we packed up and headed for home.

The day started early, we had the anchor up and ghosted out of the anchorage leaving the other boats behind.  We turned north up the bay once again.  We pressed on for forty miles or so, then made a right turn into Eastern Bay. Up Eastern Bay toward Kent Narrows.  Eastern Bay was just loaded with boats of all shapes and sizes, sailboats (motor boats with sails), and power boats all headed out into the Chesapeake Bay, probably back to where they started their journey earlier this weekend.  There is an old drawbridge that you have to pass under to transit Kent Narrows, (narrows is the operative word here) which only opens on the hour and half hour.  We were idling through the south side of the narrows, which is a no wake zone, when we saw the bridge go up.  We were maybe a half mile away at the time and I thought there was no way we could make the opening and we would have to wait a half hour.  But, there were so many boats going through the draw, some going north, some going south that the bridge had to stay open quite a while.  In fact, boats had to pass through the draw one direction at a time because it is so narrow.  The tender was on the radio giving direction to the several boats going in one direction when to go, then the other direction would go.  In the meantime other boats had moved up to the bridge and had to wait for the tender to then give them the go ahead.  This went on for some time, long enough for us to actually make it through.  After making it through the bridge, we wound our way through the narrow on the north side and entered the Chester River.  Around Eastern Neck island , into Lankford Bay then we slid into Davis Creek and home.  A 70 mile day.
We are glad to be here and glad to have completed the journey.  Now Rogue needs  a bath and a polish, but that is for another day soon.

Until then.....

Rogue ICW Day 21

Well we are on the hook again.  We made it to Solomons Md., part of the way up the Chesapeake Bay.
We just finished dinner, a choice between hamburger with cheese, or hamburger without cheese.  Throw in a little rice and salad and we are living large.
We started the day before 7:00 upping the anchor at 6:45 and ghosting our way out of the anchorage before some of the other boats were stirring.  It took a while to get back out on the bay but soon we were heading north.  We plotted our waypoints and channel markers and set out toward them.  There was a little chop on the bay in the morning, a few whitecaps here and there but nothing the was either troublesome or annoying.  As the day wore on the chop subsided and at one point the bay was almost like glass.  Calm and smooth sailing.  Speaking of sailing, why is it that most of the "sailboats" I see are motoring and there isn't a sail in sight?  Shouldn't they be called motor boats that happen to have sails? Just a rhetorical question.
We made it as far as the Patuxent River where we turned and found an anchorage in what is a very busy creek with at least eight different marinas, and, being a holiday weekend, many boats on the move and at anchor.  Finding a spot wasn't as easy as it sounds.  The place is quite full.  We finally found a place and are now settled in for the night.  Tomorrow will most likely be the last day of this really interesting, exciting and eventful journey.  We hope to pull into our home port tomorrow afternoon and introduce Rogue to her new home.  Hopefully tomorrow will be as uneventful as today and it will be smooth sailing into the Chester River and Lankford Bay.

Statistics for today- 97 miles traveled, 10hrs. 51mins. moving, 20mins stopped, 11hrs., 11mins total time.
1429 total miles traveled.

Just a couple of pictures today. Mostly we just saw water.

 The Wolfe Trappe light off Wolf Trappe Shoals.

A cargo ship that was really moving coming up the bay, probably towards Baltimore.

Rogue ICW Day 20

We are now in the Chesapeake Bay.  Well technically we are anchored in the Poquoson River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.

We spent last night in Coinjock where we were joined by a multitude of other boats cruising north.  When we docked, they really packed us in, nose to tail.  There wasn’t three feet between us and the boats in front or behind.  But, there was electric, WIFI, water and fuel which we needed.  There was also a restaurant with pretty good food.  Their claim to fame is a prime rib dinner which we both ordered.  You could have the 16 oz. or the 32 oz. whichever you prefer.  16 oz. is plenty for me, and it was a gut buster, and the steak was really tender, tasty and cooked perfectly.  It was a really great meal.

This morning we got organized, then stood on the dock and noodled on how to get out when the boat in front and the boat behind were nowhere near going anywhere and a pretty stiff breeze blowing.  We settled on the wise use of a spring line to swing us out without moving us toward either boat. I must say, it worked like a charm. We swung out the bow and were on our way.  As we motored on, many of the other boats that had left before us were beginning to line up like a parade because there are many bridges and a lock to negotiate as we approach and move through Norfolk Va.  Some of the bridges have restricted openings, meaning they only open only on the hour, or on the hour and the half hour.  So timing your arrival at these bridges takes some planning. We did pretty good.  We, along with the other boats in our gaggle had to wait at some bridges, but not a real long time.  It seemed like a long time getting through all the openings but we were through and on our way by early afternoon.  By the time we cleared the last bridge there were ten boats in line.  We had all of them in the lock we had to negotiate as well.  There was still room for several more.  After all the waiting, circling, jockeying and generally doing the boat dance with the other boats we wound our way through the Norfolk waterfront.  Wow is all I can say. It was a cacophony of sights and sounds.  Whistles, horns, grinding noises, banging noises, motors running, all coming from different directions.  There was the Navy shipyard where several ships were in dry dock being worked on.  There were tugs pushing barges, there were commercial container ship operations, and then the Navy fleet tied up.  It just seemed to go on and on and on.  As you go through the Navy areas, there are “Security” boats circling, looking everyone over.  On one ship there was a naval “shooter” standing on the bow of one boat surveying the traffic.  I’m sure if someone came too close there would be a shot across the bow.  It took us over two hours to motor through the waterfront area.  It is just an amazingly huge operation.  As we moved further through the waterfront, several of the boats that had been in our parade began to peel off and head to various marinas scattered through the waterfront. Did I mention all the pleasure boats buzzing around too.

We finally exited the waterfront and entered the Chesapeake Bay.  We made a left and headed north up the bay.  It felt good to be in “home” waters again where you are familiar with the various areas and can navigate easily.  We continued to the Poquoson River, and found an anchorage for the night.  Had a great dinner of pork chops with rice and salad. We are getting closer, it will be nice to be home again.  It seems like a long time, closing in on three weeks of travel time on Rogue.  It has been quite an experience and I have enjoyed every day, but there is something about being home again.

Statistics for today- 85 miles traveled, 10hrs 32mins. moving, 41mins. stopped, 11hrs. 13mins total time.

 1332 total miles traveled.

 I don't think the guy standing on the bow is taking pictures.

 The boat parade into Norfolk

A couple of aircraft carriers docked in Norfolk

 This cargo ship is so light his propeller is partway out of the water.

And this one is loaded to the gills.

A recycle ship.  Notice all the metal piled behind and read the words on the bridge.

Rogue ICW Day 19

We pulled anchor around 7:00 this morning.  Since there was no wind to speak of last night, much of the anchor chain along with the anchor spent the night buried in the mud at the bottom of the Little Alligator River.  When Rousby wound up the chain, the mud came on board for a ride.  The foredeck, Rousby's hands, his leg, and everything within 3 feet was splattered with mud. Fortunately Rousby had anticipated this and had the washdown hose primed and ready.  He washed down the chain and stowed it, then washed down the anchor and anchor pulpit.  Then he took the long handled brush and scrubbed down the foredeck and rinsed it off with the washdown.  All the while I am dodging what must be literally hundreds of crab pots.  It was like navigating an obstacle course.  This went on for a while until we merged back into the channel in the Alligator River.  The ride up the Alligator was fairly uneventful, the wind was picking up from the north, so there were some swells, but maintaining a heading when you are bow first into the oncoming swells is much easier to do than trying to maintain a heading when the swells are at your stern.  We crossed into the Pamlico, the dreaded Pamlico, but frankly, that crossing was a non event.  No problems at all and a pleasant ride.  When we reached Albemarle Sound, well, that was a different story.  Three footers on the nose.  We pounded our way across the sound for 16 miles. That's an hour and a half of riding a wild horse.  A few things fell over downstairs, nothing broken.  It did calm down toward the end, only two footers.  We turned into the North River and had a much nicer ride up the river to the North Carolina Cut.  This took us to Coinjock N.C. where we are currently.  Coinjock is a staging area for the trip through Norfolk.  Once you pass this area, you are essentially committed to passing all the way through Norfolk because there really isn't anywhere to stop.  So if you reach Coinjock in the afternoon, you might as well stop, otherwise you will be a long while on the water, in the dark trying to make your way through several bridges, a lock, the Navy and a busy harbor.  Not what I want to do in the dark.  So here we are taking care of a few things getting ready for the last push toward home.  Once we clear Norfolk we will be in the Chesapeake Bay, almost home. Just a couple more days.  I had planned to stay in Cape Charles tomorrow night, but the marina there is booked solid.  This is a holiday weekend and there are no rooms at the inn.  We will have to try to find an anchorage instead north of Norfolk tomorrow night, then head for home the next day.

Statistics for today- 58 miles, 6hrs. 43mins moving, 4mins stopped, 6hrs., 47mins total time.
1247 total miles traveled.


Not much to take pictures of today. Virtually no signs of civilization or other activities.

This is the boat ahead of us traveling up the Alligator River.  This was nothing compared to Albemarle Sound.

Until then....

Rogue ICW Day 18

Another good day was had by all.  Traveling was uneventful and pretty straightforward.  No real excitement to speak of.  We got up fairly early, had a bite to eat for breakfast and got ready to cast off and leave the marina.  We were out of the marina by 7:00 and heading up the Neuse River.  We ran up the Neuse for quite a while before turning into a canal that would take us into Goose Creek. The canal ran through a cypress swamp so again, the water color looked like coffee. Not really very appealing. We came up through Goose Creek and into the dreaded Pamlico River/Sound.  The Pamlico is not where you want to be when the winds are clocking 30kts.  Fortunately today the winds had calmed way down from yesterday and the ride across the Pamico was uneventful and pleasant.  Once across, we made a left and headed up the Pungo River.  Again this was a pleasant and uneventful transit of the river. There is a twenty five mile waterway/canal connecting the Pungo River to the Alligator River.  This canal seems like it is straight as an arrow, and again, carved out of a cypress swamp so the scenery didn’t really change much.  A two and a half hour ride up the canal.  Today Rousby did most of the piloting, I lounged and nodded a little on and off so it was relaxing for me.  Along the way we saw blue herons, deer, osprey, a bald eagle, and a wild pig.  When we finally exited the Alligator River-Pungo canal, we entered the Alligator River. Instead of turning right, we turned left to find an anchorage for the night.  After dodging a plethora of crab pots, we finally stopped and dropped anchor.  The water is quite placid right now and the sunset was fabulous.  A gentle breeze is cooling things off, and the mosquitoes are out in full force.  It is a good thing my wife put a can of OFF on the boat.  That might save me here.  Well what else might you expect in a swamp if not mosquitos. There certainly is no WIFI available here much less any reliable cell phone signal. In fact we haven't seen any signs of civilization for hours.  This post will most likely be a day late.

Tomorrow it’s off to Coinjock for some fuel and a few grocery items. We are just about out of bread and sandwich materials.

Statistics for today-75 miles traveled, 8hrs. 6mins. Moving time, 3mins stopped, 8hrs. 9mins, total time.  1189 miles traveled.

Some pictures

 A pusher tug and barge on the Neuse River

 Look at that water would you.  Somebody spill their coffee?

 Stumps lining the sides of the canal cut through a cypress swamp.

 Just a whole lot of nothin'

The sunset from our anchorage.  Quiet calm.

Until then......