Ortega Landing

Ortega Landing

Settling in at Ortega is easy – Steve loves the hot tub on a regular basis. Seriously, it does not take long to readjust to consistent power, secure docks, and nearby groceries. We arrived in time for the Halloween Party which added some fun.  Then we moved our floating home a mile up the Ortega River to Huckins for some repairs on our baby.  While the men were working we made a run to our dentist and eye doctors in Panama City and made a visit to our storage sheds.  Following our friends on Alizann we are reverting to our full-size bikes that were in storage.   Just getting them tuned up and back to the boat challenged our rental vehicle but master packer Steve managed!  With the boat still in the shed – entrance a good trick – we have not hoisted them up just yet – photos on that will be coming!

Other than a few short runs for fun we will be in Ortega until some vague date in the spring.  We have room for company and projects a plenty so head our way if you can. 

Take a peek at Julia’s Etsy shop to see what she has been up to while Steve labors on the boat! The link is on the right.

Much for which to be thankful

Much for which to be thankful

After a brief stop in GA where we enjoyed visiting looping friends on St Simmons and fueling up at Brunswick Landing, we headed off shore to the St John’s River and our winter home at Ortega Landing.  The hospitality of GA needs a mention as we visited two spectacular restaurants with EJ and Charlie – their generosity and talent as hosts are impressive. We are hoping they will find time to visit us in J’ville so we can make an attempt to reciprocate. 

One final comment – about the kindness of fellow boaters which we experience so often:  We wanted to stop at the free dock on Sister’s Creek after our off shore run from  Brunswick but knew we would arrive about sunset during this busy season.  If the dock was already full we wanted to avoid the short run up the creek and just hunt a spot on the river.  This dock has a self-appointed welcome host – Captain Browne Altman – who gave us his card on a previous visit.  So, from off shore we called him to check on the status of the dock.  He not only agreed to keep us updated on the space available but was on the dock in the early evening to catch our lines.  It is kindness of folks like Captain Altman and our friends in St Simmons that make the cruising life so special.

BIG HOP

BIG HOP

After enjoying a night with fellow Krogen boaters all heading south, we left with the sunrise for an offshore run to Masonboro Inlet – Wrightsville Beach.  However, we found the seas much calmer than expected so made the decision to carry on for Charleston – a mere 32+ hour run for us.  So, sadly we waved goodbye to all the Krogens headed to the mini rendezvous in Bald Head that we were sacrificing for relatively flat seas. However, Charleston Maritime Center is not a bad place to spend a few days as we wait for weather to give us a straight shot to Brunswick, GA before a few short runs up to Jacksonville for a long winter break.

Familiar Territory

Familiar Territory

Again we had an early start to cross the Albemarle Sound with calm water and a quiet night off the Alligator Canal.  From there we headed to Bellhaven, NC to check out the flood damage from the recent storms.  We were glad to see there were no serious aftereffects from the high water and this remains an easy and cruiser friendly stop.  A late start after breakfast at the charming Gingerbread Café put us in our anchorage in Broad Creek well before sunset.  In time to enjoy some of the Saturday afternoon football action.  It never ceases to amaze us that we can catch network TV in these remote spots. Next we made a stop in Oriental so Steve could visit the famed surplus/consignment nautical store.  And, of course, the Admiral had to check out the local tourist traps before we could head on to Morehead City Yacht Basin – a favorite stop for resupply and good meals.

Brian to the rescue

Brian to the rescue

Brian, the ace marine mechanic – who works on holidays, kindly dropped his current project and stepped up to help us sort out our “electrical issues”.  The battery banks are realigned and the generator has another new impeller.  The new batteries will arrive tomorrow – if all goes well we will head south again in the afternoon.

Indeed all was good we headed further south into the Dismal Swamp hoping for a familiar stop at the Visitor Center. Instead we camped on the docks of the Chesapeake Yacht Company – these are not public or free docks, but with permission and an early departure – they often let boaters spend the night on their docks.  We kept at close eye on the cats since this is the place both have wandered off our boat along the Dismal.  We kept them entertained with the solar flower gifted by Steve’s sister Susan.

We did have an early start to make the lock opening at 8:30 and then on through the second lock at 1:30 which put us in Elizabeth City for the 4:30 bridge opening.  Thankfully there was still space on the face dock for us so we did not have to squeeze into their skinny slips for the night.  A walk in this cute town rounded out the long day.  

Heading South once again

Heading South once again

Leaving NYC harbor with the sunrise we headed out for an off shore run into Barnegat Inlet a little over 70 miles south.  With favorable winds and tides we were into our anchorage before dark – but not alone as a fleet of vessels took advantage of the nice weather to move. 

Again an early start got us into Cape May harbor before dark – in time to liberate our online orders sent to the kind folks at Utsch’s Marina.  My new boots are essential for those early fall morning anchor washing duties.

Our stop in Cape May included the usual walk into town – all bedecked for the fall Victorian Festival tours.  Lots of spooky displays and fall colors added to the Victorian atmosphere. 

We were also lucky to have a visit from Steve’s sister Susan and her husband, Dick.  They have been chasing us since PEI in Canada and due to an emergency water pump repair in Philadelphia we were able to get close enough for a visit. 

Sadly their stay was short since they declined the offer of a bumpy ride to Norfolk.  We needed to take the short and not perfect window south or be forced to take the longer and slower route through the Chesapeake Bay.

Our long night was mostly comfortable and virtually free of traffic for a change.  This ended as we entered the channel toward Hampton VA.  All the weekend traffic buzzed us and we dodged a couple ocean freighters that were departing the bay.

We were glad to land in Old Point Comfort Marina for a quiet 
night and delicious dinner at The Deadrise Restaurant – recently opened above the marina office.  We have anchored off the marina several times but opted for a night on the dock which now seems to be essential as Steve trouble shoots some electrical issues….. next stop, when we can move, will be North Carolina.