Halloween Day visit to the Jamestown Settlement

It was Magnus' final day with us and with a few hours to spare we took the opportunity to visit Jamestown today. It was a beautiful drive through the Colonial Parkway National Park toward the Triangle of historic sights, Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown. We only had time for one sight today. We chose Jamestown which is the first place the English settled in America in 1607 to be met by the Powhatan Indian tribe. Jamestown is also known as the place where Pocahontas and Capt. John Smith hooked up. When Liv heard that Pocahontas lived here her little ears perked right up as she remembered the story from the Disney film. Nothin' like a Disney film to provide a little American history!
Mattias drove Magnus back up to Dulles for the flight and the girls and I cleaned up the boat, did laundry and they were treated to a little Nick Jr. in the Harbor Lounge while our laundry was being done. We didn't Trick or Treat this year. The girls were aware it was Halloween but surprisingly, didn't ask to go out trick or treating. That might come to haunt us tomorrow! It can be dark at this marina and since I was alone this evening, I didn't feel comfortable venturing across the vast darkness in search of candy. Instead, I fed them each a tiny kit-kat bar and sent them to bed!
More later,
Carrie

Annapolis, MD to Solomons, MD to Deltaville, VA

Our first day of sailing started at 7:30 a.m. Mattias had moved the boat the night before because the tide was so low due to Northerly winds that the boat got stuck in the mud at the dock. He waited until high tide to move it and we left when the tide was high in the morning and we were sure to get out. All the way down the Chesapeake we had a nice west wind and going with the current for most of the day we could go at a nice clip. It was a brisk day and of course I had forgotten to pack my longjohns! The girls and I stayed warmer with blankets.

The GPS and downloaded charts were up on the computer which was strapped to the navigation desk. This has proven invaluable to have available as it makes for easy going in regards to knowing where we are and want to be and since we traveled by a couple of prohibited military zones used for training, we don't want to bump into any bombing practice sights do we? So we are off for the approximate journey of 8 hours by motor and sail to Solomons Island, MD. What do we do for that long? Well, the girls like to do their "homework" on the boat, tie knots, listen to books on CD, take an obligatory afternoon nap if you can,eat and fiddle around. And we watch the traffic that goes by. These days were a parade of boats on the same course headed South as us, some barges and container boats. The second day Solomons to Deltaville, VA., was just as successful. Mattias and Magnus got an early start and were up and out the hatch before the girls and I. I was not aware that on sailing days you really need to be up by 6 a.m. if you want to get a good start to the day. This day they were up by 5 a.m.! Cousin Magnus was at the helm much of the day (despite a cold), and was given the opportunity to assist as much as possible on his second and final day of sailing.
While he was with us, we all missed out on alot of the sailing due to poor weather, but he will have other memories on his vacation to the U.S. from Sweden. So, we arrived Deltaville at around 3:45 p.m. so settle into dock. At the end of the dock was the Godspeed Ship, a replica of the original ship from the Jamestown Settlement. She was en route to a festival up the coast and stayed at our marina for the night. We also saw a Swedish boat anchored outside the marina with a home port of Stockholm on it's stern. Mattias may try to get in contact with them by radio tomorrow and find out how their story.

More later,
Carrie

Meet Windfall!

I've purged but still dream about more storage on the boat. With it at a minimum, we use every nook and cranny possible. Below left is under the girl's beds. We've tucked some sails, car seats and luggage bags there. On the left under bed is the toilet holding tank so that takes up alot of space. All there clothes fit on the shelves above the beds. Also some "friends", purses, etc. Below right is my kitchen dishware cabinet. Our galley has an oven, range, cold storage and hot water! Stylin'!

Our berth has more storage and a full+ size bed that compacts into a nice reading sofa space. We really have three separate spaces for separation and a place to get away!

Our boat has a dedicated navigation station with radios; gps; cd player and fuses. Here is Magnus using the computer at the desk.
















This is a picture of the Bert Jabin Yacht Yard where we've been living for the past two weeks.
This is how they get the boats in and out of the water. Huge lifts. This boat must be 45+ feet long.

This is the center cabin where our dining/main living space is located. It is where our guests also sleep. To the right, we are having a seafood dinner. Fresh shrimp of the day! Under the table is a small hatch the size of a small rubbermaid container. Aside from what is in their berth, that is the girl's toy and craft box.












This is Mattias on Windfall!

Annapolis- False Hopes

I guess I learned my lesson about preplanning with sailboats. Today we woke up and expected to take off early, we tuned into the Marine Forecast and learned the winds were up to 35 knots. That combined with a cooler morning would make for a potentially miserable sail, not so much for our fearless captain, but the crew of two young girls, the wife and unsuspecting Swedish cousin. We instead enjoyed a morning on the boat (a nap by Carrie) and then a long walk to a delicious Chinese lunch. Thanks Magnus!
We hope for better luck tomorrow but I will not post any promises from now on.

Carrie

More Pictures....

Liv and Hanna are taking a sunny rest at the Reflecting Pool outside the Capitol.
Outside the Capitol Liv found this Osage Orange Tree with funky fruit looking like a warped broccoli.


The blondies are Shannon and Matt's Corina and Raleigh.

Final Night in Annapolis!

Saturday
For real, this is our final night in Annapolis! The rain stopped late in the morning and the sun came out to create another balmy day. The seas should be relatively calm for our first sail tomorrow on the Chesapeake Bay. After four days of solid rain, our boat was pretty damp feeling so Mattias and Magnus opened all the hatches, removed the bedding for the wash and tipped up the cushions to dry out. It felt much better in the boat this afternoon and after laundering the bedding and other clothes we are in tip top shape below deck!

I met Shannon for coffee at Starbucks in Bowie MD, halfway between her home in Silver Spring, MD and our boat in Annapolis. This was our final meeting until who knows when? We are hoping for a reunion perhaps in Utah or Southern Italy sometime in the future! I tried not to linger to long saying goodbye... It's probably better that way and with good friends you know that you will see them again but was wonderful to spend time with Shannon and family in any case.

After coffee and reflection on friendships, I arrived back in Annapolis and took the girls for a much needed walk. We needed to stock up the boat grab steaks for dinner in the evening so we walked many blocks to the grocery store and back. I did the laundry at the laundromat today and the guys and young girls cleaned and hung out back at the boat.
Mattias returned the van at the car rental place and we continued to stow and/or purge everything that didn't have a home. The girls and I created Halloween crafts and "decorated" the interior to surprise Mattias when he returned.

Dinner was steak on the grill (we have a nice gas grill hooked up on the boat), asparagus and salad. Mattias and cousin, Magnus are listening to the marine forecast drinking a Glenmorangie Whisky. Conditions are changing to be 1+foot waves with 15-20 knots wind. Might be bumpy tomorrow so I'll try out the bio-bands that Erik our realtor gave us before travel for motion sickness prevention. We have a long day ahead so I best make the beds and hit the hay.

Carrie

Still in Annapolis

Friday
We have been held up in Annapolis due to poor weather conditions. It has been raining non-stop since Wednesday, our original date of departure. We expect to be leaving now on Sunday when the weather is expected to take a better turn. We'll have to put in a long first day of sailing and hope to get to Solomons Island, MD.
In the meantime we've taken a couple more trips to D.C. to get in more sightseeing. On Wednesday we contacted Adam, in Senator Amy Klobuchar's office at the Capitol. He arranged for us a nice tour of the Capitol with Diana, the Intern.

We walked the bowels of the building; saw some beautiful interiors and took the Capitol subway. We sat in on the Senate Chambers but missed some action packed sessions that day. We saw Trent Lott in the Chambers and just as I told Mattias I was hoping to see Nancy Pelosi or Hilary Clinton, there Nancy walked right by us on the way to her Speaker of the House chambers. She was followed by several body guards. After the Capitol, we went to the White House and snapped some photos of the grounds.

Both girls have acquired ear infections now and Liv's eardrum has perforated so we they are both on meds since going to Urgent Care clinics on two consecutive nights. I'm learning that the Blue Cross Blue Shield computers somehow/suspiciously, always go down when I ask pertinent questions about our new plan and going to doctors in another state than MN....
Today the girls and Magnus and I drove into D.C. again and went to the Museum of Natural History. We stayed some hours there and miraculously, made it back to Annapolis no problem with driving!
Still waiting for Mattias to assist me with loading pictures onto this blog. Thanks for your patience. He's on the phone now helping his new Yugoslav/Canadian friends with boat questions. They just purchased a boat and will be taking the same trip down the ICW as us.
Me, I will hit the hay early listening to the raindrops on the boat...
More later,
Carrie