Author Archives: npdonohoe

July 13th: We weighed anchor at 9:45 to head just over an hour away to Allans-Pensacola Cay. The crossing was rather “bouncy” with 15-17 knot winds over rather shallow waters, but it was a pretty straight shot, so we arrived no worse for wear. There were already two boats in the anchorage when we arrived,Continue reading “Allans-Pensacola Cay and Manjack Cay”

After waiting out Tropical Storm Elsa (which passed to the west of us, luckily), we departed our dock at 2:00 pm on Friday, July 9th. We cruised down the ICW to the Ft. Pierce inlet, and traveled south on the Atlantic to about Palm Beach. Neil tried his hand at offshore fishing, snagging a largeContinue reading “Bahamas Bound!”

OK, maybe not entirely, but it is a good thing to remember – plans need to be fungible, because things like weather, boat systems and pandemics can disrupt the best laid schedule. So can getting injured. Although not completely unpredictable (Kathleen did find out that our friends in CO had bets going on when andContinue reading “One of the first lessons of boating: DON’T MAKE PLANS”

We left the Albemarle Plantation marina on November 3rd, Election Day. We were a couple of the very few who were so lucky to be out of touch of the media frenzy of the day, having neither reliable cell coverage nor internet access. It was hard at first for Kathleen to adjust, but it wasContinue reading “The Trek South to Vero Beach, FL”

We left Calvert Marina in Solomons, MD on October 13th around 8:30 am. The weather looked gloomy with very low hanging clouds. After we got further underway, we realized we were heading into fog, which is something we had not tried our hand at just yet. Another learning experience! We had pretty good visibility, andContinue reading “Solomons, MD to the Albemarle Sound, NC”

We left the Tred Avon on Sept 28th, cruising 17 miles to San Domingo Creek, on the back side of St. Michaels. Getting here was a little tricky. We had heard about this “must see” anchorage from the same friend who recommended reading “Chesapeake”, so we really wanted to check it out. We were notContinue reading “St Michaels part 2, to Solomons MD”

Sept 21: From St. Michael’s, we headed to the Wye River, about two hours away. It LOOKED a lot closer than that, but the route was very winding and called for slower speeds and at least two pairs of eyes – but it was well worth it. The Wye is what we had envisioned theContinue reading “The Wye River to Oxford, MD”

Sept 18th: We raised anchor from the Comegy’s Bight anchorage on the Chester River at 7:00 am and made our way south to the town of St. Michaels.  Crossing under the Bay Bridge one more time, we passed navy training boats from Annapolis.  It was a cloudy, choppy sea kind of day on the Bay, whichContinue reading “St Michaels, MD”

Before we had left Vero Beach, a friend had recommended reading James Michener’s Chesapeake while we cruised the area this summer. It was a wonderful suggestion, and we have both read the saga. As Michener is an amazing writer, capable of bringing to life areas in all of his stories, we were excited to seeContinue reading “Exploring the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake”

Aug 30th:Our time in Annapolis continued to be amazing. Kathleen’s friend and roommate, who we hadn’t seen for 27 years, drove down from her home in Arlington to meet us for a visit and catch up time. It was so fantastic to see her and it felt like it had been days, not decades, sinceContinue reading “Chesapeake Cruising Continues as Summer Melts into Autumn”