The
unrelenting heat was making it difficult for the refrigerator aboard Lazy W to keep its contents cold so we
decided that a return trip to Hampton was mandatory in order to troubleshoot
this latest problem. So we pulled up
anchor and retraced our route down the James River. This time the current was in our favor and,
instead of the trip taking five hours, we shortened it to three-and-a-half!
After
numerous calls to Nova Kool’s Canadian headquarters and making seemingly
insignificant adjustments and minor retrofits to the refrigerator, we were
somewhat convinced that the refrigerator was minimally cooler than when we
first arrived in Hampton! Frank hopped
on his bike and made a grocery store run to replace the spoiled items that we
had trashed. Now if we could only find a
replacement battery for my dead smartphone...
As
long as the weather was so hot and humid I was content to stay at the Hampton
Public Docks where Lazy W was plugged
in and her a/c hummed and kept me cool and comfortable. But the Captain was encouraging me to move on
with these words of wisdom - “After all, it is July!” and “It is summer, you
know!” and “It’s supposed to be hot!” -
wow, who would have guessed that?!?! So
I relented and we were off to Mobjack Bay.
Cargo ship inbound
to Hampton Roads
Passing Old Point
Comfort Light
We
had an anchorage on East River near Weston Creek all to ourselves except for a
pod of dolphin that was feeding just yards off Lazy W. It was so quiet in
the early morning that we could hear the dolphin spouting as they broke the
surface of the water! That evening,
despite the very bright light from the full moon, we were able to see the Big
Dipper and Cassiopeia, the real Lazy W!
The Captain
kayaking along the East River - alone
as the Admiral thought it
was much too hot for such activity!
Under
beautiful clear skies and with the promise of calm water, we set out in high
spirits for Dozier’s Regatta Point Marina in Deltaville. A few miles south of Sting Ray Point we
noticed a thickening and darkening of the clouds. Within minutes the Coast Guard was on the
radio warning of imminent thunderstorms and winds in excess of 30 knots at
Sting Ray Point. WHAT?? The storm was
tracking in our direction and we scrambled to button up the helm and secure the
cabin. We managed to skirt the worst of
the storm but the calm water was history – the bay was now roiled up and Lazy W was rocking and rolling through
the chop. As we struggled around Sting
Ray Point into the Rappahannock River Lazy
W was taking the waves on the beam and the Captain began to tack our way
into the river. When we arrived at the
marina on Broad Creek, Sissy showed us this picture of a waterspout taken from
the marina dock a few hours before our arrival.
Luckily, we only saw
lightning!!
Waterspout at
entrance to Broad Creek on July 24, 2013
We
had enough excitement to last us for awhile so, when a small craft advisory was
posted for the following day, we opted to stay put at Regatta Point. Ironically, the high temperature was only in
the 70’s, perfect anchoring weather, yet Lazy
W was plugged in with a/c readily available!
It
was time to head up the Rappahannock River to drop anchor in the Eastern Branch
of the Corrotoman River near where Patti and Alan have their cabin. Patti called us as we passed beneath the
Rappahannock River Bridge to let us know that she and Alan were just crossing
over it by car and caught sight of Lazy W!
Family of osprey on Rappahannock River
A short dinghy ride up Hills Creek brought us to
their dock; a short uphill climb led us to the cabin. Patti harvested a bumper crop of blueberries
that she put to delicious use in a blueberry pie and a blueberry grunt, both
great accompaniments to our weekend dinners.
Our
Friday evening visit flew by and then it was dark - really, really dark – and
we still had to make our way back to Lazy
W. We gingerly picked our way
through the dark woods down to the dock where our dinghy waited in the
dark. We slowly snaked our way along the
creek – where’s that moonlight when you need it? – hoping that we would find a
darkened Lazy W and wishing we had remembered to turn her
anchor light on! When we finally arrived
back at the mother ship we vowed that any other nights spent ashore would end
while there was still a bit of daylight...
One
attraction to country living on the Northern Neck is the abundance of
birds. We spotted many eagles in the
trees surrounding our anchorage. This feeder hanging on the cabin porch was a
popular dining spot for dozens of voracious little hummingbirds who would fill
their bellies with nectar then hide in the nearby crepe myrtles.
While
touring the Northern Neck we stopped at the Tides Inn on Carter Creek in
Irvington where we enjoyed lunch and Lancaster Lemonade.
Also
in Irvington is The Dog and Oyster Vineyard.
Two forty-foot tall corkscrews flanking the driveway entrance make it
hard to miss this place! As we tasted
wines in their ‘tasting stand’ – think upscale farm stand and you will get the
picture – the gentleman pouring the wines told us the story behind the
corkscrews. The local town ordinance
does not permit a sign larger than 4’x4’.
The vineyard owners felt the signage size would not draw enough
attention to their business, thus the massive corkscrews! And why call a vineyard The Dog and
Oyster? The name honors both the rescue
dogs that patrol the vineyard keeping deer and other critters at bay and the
oyster that is one of the Chesapeake Bay’s greatest assets.
One of two 40-foot tall cork screws
at the entrance to The Dog and Oyster Vineyard
After
dinner aboard Lazy W Frank dinghied
Alan and Patti to their cabin and returned just before dark. The night sky was filled with stars – unlike the
following evening when gusty winds and the rumble of thunder from a fast
approaching storm sent us scurrying from the cabin back to Lazy W. As lightning flashed
in the distance Frank gunned the dinghy out of Hills Creek. We reached the relative safety of our
anchored boat mere minutes before the first of the heavy rain fell.
After
three days on the hook it was time to visit a marina. We chose Dozier’s Port Urbanna Marine Center
in Urbanna where most of downtown is only open on Thursday, Friday and
Saturday. It was Monday! One of the few open businesses was Marshall’s
Drug Store where we cozied up to the old-fashioned soda fountain and had ice
cream cones. Dockside, the marina
restaurant, supplied crab balls for happy hour and the marina garden supplied
fresh tomatoes and basil for our onboard dinner.
Weathered boat house on
Urbanna Creek...
...across from Oyster
Harbor Condos
Fifteen
miles from Urbanna and across the Rappahannock River from Deltaville is
Windmill Point, our next stop. After a
full two weeks on the water, we are just 86.5 miles from Portsmouth!?!?
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