| Getting Ready | The Chesapeake Bay | The Great Dismal Swamp | North Carolina | South Carolina | Georgia | Florida |
| Roni Tails | Sea Tales and Other Stories | Pictures of Doublewide | Mayaca Railroad Bridge |
 | 1 Annapolis 2 Galesville 3 Johnstown 4 Little Wicomoco 5 Deltaville 6 Hampton 7 Portsmouth |
Leaving Performance Cruising and AnnapolisTony also made an interesting comment to Dennis: "She just has to go - if she waits around until everything is perfect she will just get stuck and never leave". I was starting to get that way, trying to insure that every little bit was perfect, but Friday came and I slipped dock lines and was off! But short lived! Oh no! I made it to the end of Back Creek and noticed that the speedometer wasn't working, so back to PCI's dock where I found Tony smiling away - he knew what was wrong and was chuckling. Because the boat was tied up for more than a few days without movement the 'wheel' that turns with the water racing by had turned into a condo for little sea creatures - wiggly things, your guess is as good as mine. So, he showed me how to pop out the impeller, clean it and put it all back in, with only about a pint of water entering the boat in the process. Not bad. But now I was truly well and away! At 11:00 I was finally underway. The weather was lovely, if a little warm, but there was a breeze whipping by and the sun was out. Out of Back Creek and on my way to the West River, granted not a long distance, but a great first day of cruising. I also know the Rhode and West River area and it was wonderful to see it again. It has grown, but the Rhode River still retains the unspoiled shore that it has always had - as it belongs to the Smithsonian. I had arranged with Hartge Boat Yard ahead of time for a transient slip and docked at 3:00 Friday afternoon, I was exhilirated but exhausted! The trip was easy, but the tension was high for the entire time, trying to make Roni happy and keep an eye on markers and depths. RoniShe's a spooky little dog. Anything new is suspect and this whole trip has had her a'quiver. The boat is at this point, still not her home and she keeps going up to every car she sees trying to get in so she can 'go home'. Bearded men cause a hard wagging of the tail and 'ears up' "Well, Mumma, it COULD be Daddy. You are not the only expert on Daddy." If she is not significantly less nervous in the next week or two, I will take her home as it isn't healthy for her to be so high tension all the time. But she does seem to be enjoying herself a little more. She was in the cockpit on the sail down here and liked sitting in the Captain's Chair (which meant that I stood in front of the Captain's Chair). She also voluntarily went forward on the boat twice, although she will still not use the cat walk along the side. Just too narrow and there is that fearsome drop to the water. She's no fool! I hope that I am not being too optimistic, but I think she is going to do just fine.Read the Roni Tails here |
| Getting Ready | The Chesapeake Bay | The Great Dismal Swamp | North Carolina | South Carolina | Georgia | Florida |
| Roni Tails | Sea Tales and Other Stories | Pictures of Doublewide | Mayaca Railroad Bridge |