FIREFLY'S FALL CRUISE TO NC

Our cruise from Lake Champlain to Oriental, NC has encountered a few obstacles. So far, I may look back on it as the "Cruise That Never Happened" or perhaps worse, "The Cruise From Hell".

Here's the story:

9/7/11 Picked up Tom Hart, crew member, at the Albany airport with the intention of launching Firefly in the Hudson just south of Albany. The delivery was rescheduled to begin there as the Champlain Canal was closed due to damage caused by Irene and that prevented us from starting in Whitehall, NY. When we trailered Firefly to the ramp in Coeysman, NY two things happened. First, the ramp was badly damaged and not serviceable and second, a local came over and said, "what you think you're doing?" When I answered, he said, "look at the river" in a tone that suggested he was talking to an idiot. The river was the color of coffee with only a splash of milk to make it a reddish brown. Heddy, the woman in the marina office, told us that the debris we saw floating by (logs, branches, stumps, etc) was nothing compared to the days immediately following the hurricane. And the heavy rains from a couple of day ago were stirring it up again. They had witnessed horses, cows, refrigerators and vehicles as well as numerous boats go by, carried by the swift current toward the ocean.

Given the conditions, we decided to go to Plan B which was to pick up our other crew member at the New Paltz exit on 87 and head toward Baltimore.

9/8/11 We found Dominick Pagnotta in fine spirits when we met off the ramp on Rt. 87 and headed to Baltimore, towing Firefly and still talking about the Hudson while scratching our heads in disbelief. Given the unusual circumstances, we were allowed to cancel room and marina reservations without being charged.

In Baltimore, we found a ramp and also slip in the inner harbor and got Firefly ready for the morning.

9/9/11 Boarded Firefly and headed out for Annapolis around 0800.

Although there was some debris in the inner harbor, we were optimistic about keeping our plan of scooting down the Chesapeake at cruising speed (26 kts) to Annapolis, then over to the Chester River to explore the eastern shore of Maryland. Leaving Baltimore from the water is great - lots of vessels of all descriptions and representing the old and the new.

However, the occasional debris in the harbor turned out to be the first very first signs of an enormous wave of junk we were about to hit. As we crossed the Susquehanna River the day before, we were stunned by all the debris - you could literally walk across this wide body of water from shore to shore. Again, brown water, logs, trees, branches and I imagine everything else. It rushing toward the Chesapeake and even though the Coast Guard had told us the Chesapeake was clear, I don't think they knew or understood the whole picture. About 20 minutes out, we found ourselves in a debris field that was getting worse as we ventured closer to the open waters of the Chesapeake. The only other boats out there were two sailboats, rafted together, and we concluded one was towing the other - probably a bent prop.

We were left with no alternative but to haul Firefly and change plans again. This time to go further south to Norfolk were we are now. Firefly spent the night at the Waterside Marina and we're staying at the Sheraton Hotel a short walk away.

TD: 0800 TA: 1625 EH: 590 AMS: 19.5 kts Fuel: 36 gals. OD: 108 nm

9/10/11 Unbelievable! The sun is out this morning and the water is still clear. The sky is blue and it's warm. We feel like we're in a strange but wonderful land. We headed north, then northwest up the James River and passed numerous fishing boats, both commercial and pleasure. The fish must have been jumping into the boats because the water roiled and there were so many boats it made me think of a mob scene during a sale at Fil-

ene's Basement. Further up the river was a mothballed fleet of navy ships, laying at anchor.We continued past them and skimmed the flat water in a state of pure joy. Eventually we noticed Jamestown off our starboard bow and on whim decided to explore it. We left the channel and squeezed under a bridge, inching forward in very shallow water until we found a suitable place tie Firefly to a tree and jump to land.

Jamestown was very interesting and well worth the time. The national park service runs it with efficiency and deserves a lot of credit for making it such a good educational experience in well kept facilities.

In the mid afternoon, we headed back toward Norfolk and into the Chesapeake Bay where we ventured out to the ocean. The bay was calm and relaxed - much different than most times I've seen it. Upon getting back to the Waterside Marina, we saw children playing in the fountains of the abutting park and took delight watching them have so much fun. All in all, a great day.

9/11/11 TD 0740 TA 1730 EH 599 FUEL 41.5 gal. AMS 23.3 mph OD 178 sm

We left Norfolk with the bimini rolled up and the sun rising in the sky. Immediately off the marina to the west, tugs were moving the USS Cole toward the public dock as police and CG formed a protective ring around her. We think the Cole must be on display today to remind us of the struggle in which we find ourselves with religious extremists.

We entered the ICW at mile marker 0 and once again followed the chain of rivers, sounds and canals toward our final destination of New Bern, NC. The day continued to be perfect and Firefly felt in her element; if she could express herself in human terms, I know it'd be with a smile. As we planed the flat water at 30 mph, we passed a lot of other boats heading south for the winter and we were again struck by Firefly's versatility; trailerable, fast and economical. An ocean going vessel as well as a lake ski boat. So many personas. Not bad.

As we left the Pungo River and entered Pamlico Sound, we turned right instead of left and decided to go to the top of the Pamlico River instead of home. The town of Washington, NC is situated 25 miles or so upriver and has a beautiful new public dock and best of all, no charge for tying up for the night. Washington is a very old town and appears charming - it has well maintained buildings that exude the flavor of southern tradition. We stayed at the Pamlico House, a B+B that was only a short walk from the dock and featured large and immaculately clean rooms with 10' ceilings. Breakfast looked like an artistic endeavor - the taste of banana pancakes was more than these simple taste buds could ever hope for.

9/12/11 TD 1015 TA 1510 EH 604 AMS 21.5 FUEL 23 gal. OD 86 sm

We got a late start as the RR bridge was down and the train on its way. As we waited for the bridge to open, we saw a floating junk pile coming by us that turned out to be a small barge carrying broken boats and docks, a reminder of hurricane Irene. On the opposite shore, boats were still stranded on land and frozen in grotesque poses.

The waterfront (dock) master was an interesting man; raised in Bristol, RI, a graduate of Maine Maritime Academy and retired pilot from 25 years on the Panama Canal. He owns a 38' Shannon cutter

built by Walt Shultz and lives in a townhouse overlooking his mooring. We had a lot to talk about.

The train finally arrived (behind schedule - imagine that...) but before heading out, we made a final sweep of the harbor to have one more glance at the town and took the photo below. It represents the simple, clean and quiet place it is.

Being low on fuel we found a maina several miles toward the Sound. Upon entering, the effects of Irene were not as subtle as in Washington. Boats were piled up on the docks like the playground of a deranged child and the extent of the damage must be driving up the sale of anti-depressants among insurance companies. Makeshift repairs kept things together; ropes tied from dock corners to land held them in place and temporary shores held some upright. Was the extreme damage a result of wind direction vs. marina orientation, or perhaps cheaply constructed structures gambling on probability?

It looks like it'll be a long while before things are back to normal and business as usual. I continue to be impressed with the devastation from Irene, from the tip of the Champlain Canal in upstate NY to the coast of NC.

We swung into the town of Bath, another old NC settlement that is picturesque and traditional. A quick turn around the harbor revealed much less storm damage than the previous one but not altogether without signs of the struggle of man and nature. But it appeared unblemished by comparison.

The Pamlico River was flat as we happily rocketed along, down to the convergence of river and Sound, then past Oriental and up the Neuse River to New Bern, where Herbert McMillan, our retired farm manager, waited for us with a truck and trailer. As we were close to the end of the cruise, we saw an interesting boat on our port beam. It turned out to be a 75' shrimp buyboat built in 1901 by a builder in Maryland. It's owner belongs to an association of these historic vessels that cruise together. A beautiful sight. Vessel's name: O. A. Bloxom

This years fall cruise was not the intended 6 days at sea but rather 1 legitimate day and 2 make-up (sightseeing) days. Boats are great teachers; they teach use adaptability, patience and are strong reminders that we are not truly in control, only endowed with the ability to navigate the circumstances given us. Although Firefly is now parked outside her boatshop and ready to go in for the winter, there's a nagging voice in the back of my head whispering "...not yet, not yet".