What Chris Did While Anne Was On The NOAA Cruise

While Anne was being well-fed well on the Delaware II, enjoying the fruits of the crew’s labor while they operated the ship, Chris was single-handing Mr Mac from Rhode Island to North Carolina.  He enjoyed a fine offshore passage from Block Island to Cape May (34 hours from anchor up to anchor down), then did mostly day trips.  He stopped off in Annapolis to get groceries and do some repairs, then headed to the Rhode River to hook up with our friends Steve and Lynn on Celebration and attend the SSCA gam there.  Post-gam, he made his way down Chesapeake Bay and into the ICW at Norfolk, VA, stopping for the night (and some mean Mexican food and a margarita) at Great Bridge, VA.  It was here that the deluge of rain that was traveling up the east coast caught up with him.  To those of you who know the free city tie-up between the lock and the bridge, only the pilings were visible; the top of the wall and the adjacent lawn were submerged.  The flooding closed a bridge south in the Virginia Cut, so Chris back-tracked a few miles and headed south through the Dismal Swamp.  Even there he encountered some back-ups, waiting for the Corps of Engineer guys (his grateful thanks to them!) to cut up some trees that blocked the channel.  He spent a night at the free dock in Elizabeth City, then anchored in Pungo Creek, and finally made his way to New Bern, NC.  Along the way he had some great sails.  This was his first time single-handing Mr Mac (he had gone solo on Nereid on several occasions) such a long distance, and he worked out some good techniques.  He also noticed that his vigilance was heightened because he knew he had only himself to rely on.  He had a good time, as Anne had a good time on her research cruise, but it was nice to get back together in New Bern.