Late September we began moving the boat to Hampton VA, to prepare for the 2014 Salty Dawg Rally to the British Virgin Islands which takes place the first week in November. This will be the second year in a row that Pratique has participated in the rally. Susan and I decided to go west down the Long Island Sound once again, since the weather was rough to the south of LI. We made stops in Branford and Glen Cove, then into the East River. There we found out that the usual route between Roosevelt Island and Manhattan was closed to all marine traffic because of U.N. security. So we went east of Roosevelt Island between it and Queens. The Roosevelt Island Bridge operator must have had his hands full with all the north-south traffic!
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| Coast Guard just south of the U.N. |
We exited New York Bay and had a very pleasant motor-sail down the NJ coast. Next morning up the Deleware, then through the C & D Canal, for our stopover in the Bohemia Bay, Maryland. Our friends Jay and Tanya keep their Valiant 42 Minx at Bohemia Bay Yacht Harbour and we were excited not just to visit but also to have Jay do our new solar panel install! The BBYH and the Bohemia River were great, and so was Jay's work!
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| Nice work, Jay!! |
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| One of Jay's custom welds |
After that, we spent a few days going south along the Chesapeake, this time stopping in the Little Choptank River off Casson Point, then Solomons Island, and finally Hampton!
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| Little Choptank anchorage |
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| Boats arrive for the Solomons Grand Prix! |
We spent a few nights in Hampton while we cleaned up and organized Pratique for the SDR next month. Then back to CT, then back to Hampton in a few weeks!
