Return To Fair Haven Continued

We left Morehead City, NC on the morning of 5/9/12 heading for Oriental.  Our stay at the Portside Marina was brief but memorable.  The owner Denard was one of the nicest people we met on the entire trip.  He met us at the dock when we pulled in and helped us tie up the boat.  We were out of propane and he sent one of his workers across the bridge to Beaufort to get our tanks topped off.  He really couldn't do enough for us.  All this while the marina was undergoing major repairs from storm damage caused by Irene the previous fall.  Denard really showed us what southern hospitality is all about.

Over the next several days we really moved north.  Single night stays at Whittaker Creek in Oriental, NC, on anchor in the Pungo River, the Alligator River Marina and again on anchor in the Great Dismal swamp preceded our arrival in Norfolk, Va. on 5/13/12.  Contrary to it's name the Dismal Swamp is beautiful.

We didn't know it at the time but Waterside Marina in Norfolk would be our home for the next 8 days.  Tropical storm Alberto the first named storm of the season would make sea conditions intolerable for the eight days.  Sixty and seventy foot yachts would leave Waterside Marina each morning only to return a couple of hours later due to rough seas both in the Chesapeake Bay and off shore.


Dalliance at Norfolk
Calm before the storm



 

We stayed put and enjoyed the sights and sounds of Norfolk, Va.  Highlights of our stay included dinner at an Irish Pub with Hoss & Dottie from S/V Skye, Mother's Day dinner at Joe's Crab Shack, cocktails onboard S/V Kimtory with Keith & Katie, a tour of General Douglas MacArthur's tomb and memorial.

The Happiest Tugboat ever!!

We would meet up with Skye and Kimtory several more times on our way north.  Hoss, Dottie, Keith & Katie became close friends.  We left on the overcast morning of 5/21/12.  By mid day the sky had cleared and the Chesapeake was calm.  We arrived at Dozier's Marina in Deltaville, Va @1430 hrs.  After taking the courtesy car to town for provisions we joined the Norfolk crew on the deck for happy hour.  A good time was had by all! 
After a quick layover in the Solomons we arrived back in Annapolis, Md on May 25th.  It was hard for us to believe it had been a year and a half since our last visit to Annapolis.  We love Annapolis and believe it is the premier sailing port on the Chesapeake and probably the entire east coast.


Annapolis from our mooring

Two of our favorite hangouts in Annapolis are Chick & Ruth's deli where we get the best crab cake sandwich we've ever had and the CastleBay Irish Pub for Guinness and corned beef.  After a one night stop at Summit North Marina in the C&D canal we were on our way down Delaware Bay to Cape May, NJ.
While at Summit North our friends Ann & John from S/V Luna drove up from Baltimore and spent an evening with us on board Dalliance. It was great to see them, catch up and reminisce about our travels together through Virginia and North Carolina a year and a half ago.

Anne & John - s/v Luna
aboard Dalliance

We arrived at Utsch's Marina in Cape May, NJ late in the afternoon of 5/26/12.  The trip down Delaware Bay had not been an easy one.  We battled fog in the C&D canal early in the morning and wind and rough seas most of the afternoon in Delaware Bay.


Navigation aid on the Delaware Bay

We were happy when we finally entered the Cape May canal where we found sanctuary from the high wind and seas.  We'll pick up our next post from our stay in Cape May.  Stay tuned.