Smithfield, Virginia is a lovely historic town which was incorporated in 1752. The home of Smithfield hams, the area has many beautiful historic homes. The entry down the Pagan River to the Smithfield Station Marina was longer than we anticipated . Our timing was not great, bringing us in near low tide. The river was muddy and the water was shallow but the area is quite pretty.
We had a brief stay at the Solomons Island Yacht Centre. We got in late afternoon so we spent a couple hours relaxing before going out for a great dinner at the CD Cafe.
We spent two nights in Annapolis, home of the US Naval Academy. Bonnie, Brad and Lauren drove in from DC to have lunch with us on Saturday. We saw plenty of naval people in their white uniforms. Lauren commented that she would never do well in those white outfits because she is just too messy. It rained all morning and was drizzly all afternoon but we had a great lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. Brad took us to Whole Foods so it was great to stock up on good groceries since the next two stops will probably not have much. I forgot to take pictures but grabbed a few on our exit!
We spent one night at Schaefer’s Restaurant and Marina. This restaurant was a busy spot. I don’t think there is too much available in this area. The restaurant had good reviews but we had lunch and I was not impressed so we had dinner on the boat . I am still pretty sore from the bike accident. Another boater came over to introduce himself because he stayed in the same marina in Cape City and he remembered our boat. He was from Ottawa and Paul asked how he was able to cross the border . He said he has dual citizenship so it is not a problem for him. He had a big Trump flag on his boat which I thought was interesting since he lives in Canada. He asked where we were going and said he and his wife did not have an end destination. They were just headed to warmer weather,
it was a long, rough trip to Cape May but we were happy to be here rather than Atlantic City. The rough seas kept us here for a full week. We were at a great family owned marina. The people running it were all great and very helpful. We didn’t realize that New Jersey restaurants have been closed all summer. They just opened to 25 percent capacity September 4 so that put a crimp in our dining experiences. Fortunately, the Lobster Pot, which is one of the biggest restaurants in Cape May was very close to the marina. We had dinner there twice. It was very old school and reminded us a little of the old Joe Muers. Cape May is a pretty town with many lovely Victorian buildings and a nice beach area. It was cold this week so that also limited our activities. The bike riding is not great here with narrow streets and too much traffic. I had my first wipeout the day before we left. I was trying to get from the road to the sidewalk and hit a small lip in a driveways that threw me off. I have a black eye, cut above my eye, and a sore ankle and wrist. The worst is that I broke my glasses and I do not have a spare. I had two appointments at Costco before we left to get a spare but both were cancelled due to COVID.
We planned to travel to Atlantic City but the weather forecast for the next five days was not good so we decided to go all the way to Cape May. We would prefer to be stuck in Cape May over Atlantic City. The ride was long and a little rough so we were glad to get in port. The last time we went through NYC we stayed on Staten Island and had a great time. It was a little sad to just pass it by this time.
We had a little rough water traveling to Port Washington. Shortly after arriving, an older boat with three older couples pulled in next to us. Diesel fuel was spilling out the side of their boat. We told the wife but she said it was Barnacle Buster. I had to call the office and they immediately came down and started a cleanup. After this excitement, it was getting late and we had very few groceries so we unloaded our bikes and went to dinner at a very nice Italian restaurant and the stopped for groceries on our return to the boat.
My soft shelled crab dinner
We made a reservation here to leave the boat the boat while we flew to Minnesota for Matt Karty’s funeral. There was quite a bit of planning involved to get to Montevideo, MN, but we were glad we made the trip. Brian and Ruth Ann were very happy to have all the siblings there.
This marina was very disappointing. It appeared to have been a very nice development at one time but it is now very shabby and rundown. Their phones don’t work and they do not monitor the radio. Once again, it amazes me how much they charge to dock a boat at a place that looks like this and has no service. A man on the next dock told me that they went into bankruptcy and the owners were escorted off the premises two weeks ago. The new management does not appear to be doing much to improve things. The only positive thing I can say about them is, for the two nights we stayed on the boat, we did have good internet service. That seems to be unusual on the east coast. Most of the marinas advertise they have WIFI, but they do not tell you that it doesn’t work.
We arrived at Block Island Wednesday and were able to catch a mooring ball. Unfortunately, when the collection man came around to collect our fees, he informed us that the launch service stops after Labor Day. We knew that rain was forecast for all day Thursday so we quickly loaded the bikes on the dinghy and went over to see the island. The bikes are heavy and it was not easy getting them on the dinghy but we did it. Well, Paul did it. We rode up to see the lighthouse and then on to Spring House for lunch with a lovely view of the water. It was good we were able to ride the island Wednesday because, as forecasted, it rained all day Thursday. We didn’t get off the boat at all Thursday, except to go to dinner. We had to pick Robert up because Linda had hurt her back loading their bikes. They were already removing some of their dinghy docks when we went to dinner. Several shops had already closed for the season. Apparently, the do not try to extend their season into fall like they do on Mackinac Island. Mid September is always our favorite time to go to Mackinac Island.
Taking out the dinghy docks
Dinner at The Oar. We found the M Go Blue oar.
Watching our boat out in the harbor while dining at The Oar.
We had a very nice ride to Bannister following Linda and
Robert on Errante. We stopped at the Boathouse Restaurant in Tiverton, MA along the way to have my birthday lunch. It was a great restaurant with a lovely view. We had to take an Uber to get to a restaurant for my birthday dinner. Bannister did not have much but they did have a wonderful 16 mile bike trail. Today we rode to a wonderful restaurant that offered a half pound lobster roll. Since we left Maine, fresh lobster is not as easy to find but the Clam Shack was awesome. They opened at 11:30 but there was already a line to order when we arrived at 11:15. Tomorrow we will ride in the other direction. The bike trail goes all the way to Providence.
Since deep water dock space was limited at the Boathouse, we had to raft off Errante.
The Clam Shack lobster roll
Karty Party Adventure 