Shore Side and Return to the Scull

2013 is over and I for one am glad. Many things happened both good and bad. And although sailing the Chesapeake was great I believe 2014 will be even better.

On New Years Day we started moving into our new (old) house in Richmond. Since leaving St. Augustine in the spring of 2012 we have lived in a tent and a series of apartments. This self-chosen 'vagabond' lifestyle was quite an education. We came to realize that we need another "base camp" to venture out from. Think we found a nice one.

The Old Home Place

Annie is buttoned up tight and weathering the winter at Gwynn's Island. When it warms a bit (mighty cold this coming week) I plan to go over, camp at the marina and return to maintenance jobs that have been on hold. While there I'll be checking in with my gallery in Mathews and the good folks at Deltaville Maritime Museum where I'm consulting on their new exhibits. 

The end of the year blog check revealed that the post on Annie's sculling oar is still the most viewed. I hope others have tried the design or modified it for the better. I still would like to hollow out the blade's underside to roll down in the water and hopefully get more thrust. We'll see...

Photo by Steve Earley

John Drove Up

Up the Western Shore  Day 5

I had set my phone alarm for 3 am. Like I said my plan to catch a ride with fishermen to Gywnns Island was somewhat unresolved. So on the off-chance I awoke pulled on my pants and shoes, grabbed my keys and stepped on the dock to see a pickup driving off in the dark up the hill from the marina. Woops.

Back to the berth and after a few hours I was again listening to NOAA and readying Annie for another go at heading south. It didn't sound go... still piping out of the northeast, when a fellow drove up in the deserted parking lot. He wondered if the restaurant was open for breakfast. I told him no.

I said that I had missed a ride and was contemplating going out when he said "I'll take you, I don't have anything to do this morning. I'm stuck like you." He continued by saying that the storm had chased him back in at Smith Point as he tried to take his small skipjack down to coastal North Carolina where he lived. I offered to buy gas but he preferred breakfast instead.

So John and I found a place to eat outside of Smith Point and he showed me his boat. She was a shallow draft skipjack-style sailboat with a single raked mast rigged as a sloop. Pretty salty looking and heavy built. We headed south to Gwynns Island... about 40 miles and there I picked up the truck and trailer and headed back north. When I arrived John pulled up again and helped me haul out at a primitive ramp that the watermen use. We parted ways, he back to wait on a better day and I to drop off Annie and head home after a nice, somewhat rough, spring sail up the Chesapeake.

Sometimes things just work out... with a liitle help from a new friend.

Work Day

I arrived at Van & Denise's place on Pepper Creek yesterday, late morning. I was there to pick up Annie and had brought a small load of firewood to share. The fields were pretty soggy from the rains and it was a slow, deliberate tow out. Headed back north up the neck and turned off toward Gwynn's Island. On arriving at Morningstar Marina I found the office closed and not a soul about. The 'boat on trailer' area was open so I decided to back the rig in and get about my work.

Winterizing had alluded me. I knew it important for the outboard but with spending so much time in North Carolina and still in the Florida head, it had gone undone and fear of repercussions had set in. With fogger, 10-40 oil, a new spark plug, gear oil and crossed fingers I set in. All went well until it came to the oil drain plug. The supplied wrench (they are never the best) started to strip the hex head and I stopped. I fashioned a water bottle/water tubing suction device that worked well pulling out the old oil. All and all the maintenance, albeit late, felt positive. 

I emptied out gear that had been left aboard, did a bit of cleaning, and found the wast oil dump. Although the place was deserted the clean restroom/ shower was open. Left a note, locked the trailer ball and headed back west.

Gwynn's Island road cut-off landmark: the old Donk's Theater

A temporary mess

Works great!

Callis Wharf on the island across Middle Grounds

Gwynn's Island swing bridge from Morningstar