10/31● Happy Halloween!!

After being in Washington, D.C. for well over a month, we finally left (last Thursday) and made our way to Hampton, VA, arriving yesterday. We stopped in the Coan River, Cockerell Creek in the Great Wicomico River, the Piankatank River and Cape Charles. Most of the way was fine and the anchorages were beautiful but Cape Charles was a nightmare all around. Think of it as the Tierra del Fuego of the Chesapeake. We had horrible weather both going and leaving there. We careened in with a 30 knot wind, only to find that the harbor barely had water deep enough for us. In fact, after bouncing off the bottom and finally tying up 3 feet from the sea wall, Songbird had to remain there for 2 hours until she could float to her assigned slip. (Meanwhile, we walked ashore and had a nice dinner – a redeeming feature of Cape C.) And, the wind the next morning was only 5 knots less than the preceding day. It wasn’t a pretty place either – a desolate, industrial setting. We may never go back to Cape Charles!
We had a great time in D.C. visiting with friends and making new cruiser friends as they came and left the D.C. harbor. One of our favorite places to spend time was at the Capital Yacht Club bar but we weren’t always derelicts. Pam did her power walks around the tidal basin and Bill participated in a weekly Tuesday eve regatta with Captain Skip, coming in 6th place – not too bad since they only participated 60% of the time.

We’ll be in Hampton for about a week before we take off.
Photos: Holiday greetings from Ted; D.C. arrival; Weekly Regatta; Capital Yacht Club; D.C. departure - note difference in attire.