Chapter 54: Norfolk to Solomon Island

Log 54
Norfolk to Solomon Island, MD.

6:00 AM
Saturday, June 10, 2000
Zahniser’s Yachting Center
Solomon Island, MD.

Day 69

We debated yesterday on exactly how to count the days on this trip. Should we count the days we spent in Norfolk as part of the Great Circle? Well we decided that although I worked, we were on the boat, and they should be counted. So today we begin day 69.

Rome and Theresa Hubert are aboard now. They got on Thursday evening, and their first day was a great one. The day began with me returning my rental car, and trying to get the boat ready to resume our voyage. It has been almost two weeks since I paid any attention to the boat, and I wasn’t ready to go. It took me a while to get everything “back to cruising normal”. (You know…charts, cruising guides, electronics, secure the dinghy, and make sure nothing falls over, etc.)
The day started out sunny, and stayed that way all day long. We left our slip of 2 weeks about 8:15, and headed out into the Norfolk Harbor, and towards the Chesapeake. You could tell it was going to be pretty, and it certainly was.
We joined the Chesapeake where it actually ends. This is where it joins the Norfolk Harbor, and the Atlantic Ocean. This is also the widest part of the entire Bay. The wind was out of the Southwest, and that made the waves just about perfect for us. They were hitting us on our port stern, and not bothering us at all. In fact it was perfect cruising all of the way yesterday.
It was great to be on the Chesapeake Bay again. When we lived on the east coast in the middle 80’s we did a lot of boating on the Bay, and it is some of my fondest memories. This is a great place to have a boat.
Our trip yesterday was about 100 miles. We ended up at a place called Solomon Island. It is one of many Maryland boating communities that dot the perimeter of the Chesapeake. They are all unique, but they also all look the same. As I was walking the dock last night it brought back many memories of a lot of marinas that look just like this one. I know I won’t be able to describe the difference between these types of marinas, but they are definitely different than the places we have come from.
We arrived at our marina about 3:30, and after getting some fuel ($1.11) we tied up to our slip, and cleaned up the boat. It was hot as we cleaned up, and predicted to get hotter. Deb went up to check in, and try to make some reservations for dinner. Although we have been eating on the boat a lot during this trip, I predict we will eat out a lot on this leg. We will be in a lot of neat spots, and many of these marinas do not want you grilling on the dock. Also Rome and Theresa enjoy eating out, so I think this will be the rule, not the exception.
As I said, we had a great (actually awesome) day of cruising, but the thing we will remember most about the day was the waitress at the restaurant.
Her name was Renee’, (about 21, blond, with pierced stuff everywhere) and she was a “dandy”. She had no clue what she was doing, and no clue what any waitress in the US should do. I’m sure if you ask her “What do you think some of the duties of a “normal” waitress should be?” She would look at you with a very blank stare, throw her head back a little, and say “Whaaaaaaat?”. The dinner was good, but she was the real entertainment. Example. When she first showed up, she took our drink order. No problem, right? Well they never came, and they never came. She finally shows up and says, “If you order now, I’ll go get your drinks”. Like she was holding them as ransom or something. Well guess what. We had our drinks BEFORE she took our order. Anyway, you get the picture. Like I said we will be talking about Renee’ for a while.

Today is going to be great! The weather is perfect for boating. Hot, and sunny. In fact they say it will probably hit about 100 degrees. We only have about 40 miles to go to get to Annapolis, so I plan to get a late start (9:00) and take our time with a slow cruise up the bay. I can’t wait to get there again. It is a great boating spot, and they have one of the best marine stores I have ever been in. Yeee Haa!

I’ll keep you posted.

BK.