Cedar Creek Church - Site of Skirmish on October 19, 1864 Shenandoah Valley Virginia
Dwayne and Brian headed down the Shenandoah Valley to further explore the area around Cedar Run Church, Marlboro, Virginia which is where their great-grandfather, William Hein, was captured when Confederate General Thomas L. Rosser led a raid with the intent of capturing Union General George A. Custer in retaliation for a humiliating defeat a week earlier at Tom's Brook. To make a long story short, Custer and Rosser were cadets and friends at the US Military Academy in West Point. Rosser left the academy to join the Confederate army and Custer remained with the Union. Both quickly rose through the ranks and their cavalry units frequently fought against each other. On October 9, 1864 Custer's cavalry achieved a stunning victory and routed Rosser's horsemen who fled down the Shenandoah Valley. On October 17, Rosser lead his division on a night raid hoping to capture General Custer as retribution. Custer's headquarters was at Cedar Run Church but moved to another nearby location just before Rosser's force attacked. Instead of riding off with Custer as his prisoner, Rosser rode away with officers and men of the 1st Connecticut Cavalry taken as prisoners when they were overwhelmed during a brief skirmish. William Hein spent the remainder of the war as a POW enduring months of confinement at the Confederate prison camp in Salisbury, North Carolina.
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and Brentwood, Tennessee
Carla was working hard helping her daughter prepare for her move from Tennessee to North Carolina. Dwayne and his brother, Brian took a road trip to visit the Gettysburg National Military Park. They are both interested in history and the Civil War in particular as their great-grandfather, William Hein, served in the Union army as a member of the 1st Connecticut Cavalry Regiment. He was not at Gettysburg during the battle as he had not yet enlisted for service. However, his regiment fought there as part of General Custer's brigade which was heavily engaged in the battle.
Dingy Dinghy and Other Dirty Work
Dwayne spent the days after haul-out cleaning the bilge, head, galley and clearing out the storage spaces of items to be removed from Foreign Affair prior to leaving her until we return in October. Frank and Susan helped remove the canvas and sails. It took many hours to clean the dinghy which had not been scrubbed for over two years. She looks like new now. Frank helped Dwayne hoist her up to rest on the Foreign Affair's bow where she will be stored. Frank also helped with servicing the outboard motor. Dwayne made one last visit with Bill, the service manager, to review the repair estimate and discuss the plan for completing the repairs. Foreign Affair will be launched again sometime in October. Until then, Dwayne and Carla will be spending time with family and on the road exploring the "red" highways rather than the "blue" highways.
Haul Out and Power Wash
Foreign Affair was hauled, power-washed and blocked. The bottom paint held up very well and there was very little growth on her hull to include the underside of the keel which we expected to see covered in barnacles but it was relatively clean. Foreign Affair was moved to the storage area where she will remain while repairs are made to her due to the storm damage. The surveyor will come out once more to inspect the hull and meet with the service manager to finalize the estimated cost of repairs. Work will begin sometime in July as the insurance company must review the claim and submit an offer of settlement. Dwayne and Carla are preparing for a busy life ashore with family. Carla will be helping her daughter move from Tennessee to North Carolina. Dwayne will remain in Maryland for a while making some repairs, servicing equipment and preparing Foreign Affair for her lay-up.
Father's Day - Washing Sails and Eating Crabs
Father’s Day
was dedicated to washing the sails and chowing down on crabs, corn on the cob
and boiled potatoes. Dwayne washed both
the main and genoa. Mike boiled a bushel
of crabs and vegetables. We ate well
while the sails dried on the lawn. Brian
helped Dwayne roll and bag sails just before dark. The evening was dedicated to watching
baseball on television.
A Little Help From My Friends
Frank and Suzanne of Rockhopper came over from Lankford Bay Marina to help Dwayne remove the sails, dodger and bimini. Frank was our instructor for the docking class we took through the Maryland School of Sailing. We have been friends ever since and keep in touch with each other through out the year. Suzanne will repair the dodger and bimini which suffered from damage due to high winds and chaffing. The sails will be washed and eventually stored on Foreign Affair over the winter. Frank and Suzanne will still be in Rock Hall in early October when we return to complete preparations for winterizing Foreign Affair. We are fortunate to have friends near by to help us with all that must be done before the winter and able to check on the boat if we need someone to do so.
Hull and Deck Cleaned
Work began
in earnest preparing Foreign Affair for haul out and storage for the next 10 months. Dwayne spent most of the day-light hours
cleaning the ICW mustache and crud off the hull. It is a tedious job working from the dinghy
and took two days to complete this task.
Dwayne also cleaned the bilge and got the bilge pump working again. Cleaning the bilge is a job no one likes to
do. The deck and cockpit also got a
quick scrubbing. Rain is predicted
during the weekend. The boat could use a
good natural rinse of rain water. There
is still a very long list of tasks that need to be accomplished. It is like eating the elephant – one bite at
a time.
Terry to the Airport
Our goal was
to depart at 0900 to get Terry to the airport with plenty of time to clear
security. We loaded the car and the
serpentine belt broke when the engine started.
We decided to drive the car to an auto repair shop in Rock Hall as it
was only a couple of miles away. The
mechanic who checked to see why the belt broke discovered the bearings for the
pulley on the air conditioning compressor were shot and the pulley wobbled thus
throwing the belt. Installing a new belt
was not a solution.
St. Micheals to Rock Hall
We got
underway at 1030 hoping to arrive at Haven Harbor Marina before the marina
staff went home for the evening. The
wind for once was favorable; however, it was so light we hardly got any real
benefit. The best additional speed we
derived from having the genoa set was ½ knot and that lasted less than an
hour. We kept the sail up for an
additional hour hoping the wind velocity would increase but it did not. We finally rolled up the genoa as it was
hanging limp and obstructing our vision.
There were many boats of all sorts on the Bay as it was a beautiful
day.
Annapolis to St. Michaels
We slipped
off our mooring ball shortly after noon.
Annapolis harbor was quite busy as sailboats were heading out for races
or day sails. The water taxi and tour
boats were also in the mix, as well as, motor yachts. We headed directly for St. Michaels. Along the way we caught sight of one schooner
and a beautiful old yawl. Terry was
appalled at the lack of courtesy displayed by the skippers of big power boats
that frequently crossed our bow creating huge wakes which rocked or rolled us. We arrived at St. Michaels at about 5.
Rock Hall to Annapolis
We departed
Rock Hall at 1030 bound for Annapolis.
Terry wanted to catch some fish.
So, we trolled as we crossed the Bay. We stopped at a couple of
locations where others were fishing hoping to get some action. Our fishing skills we inadequate to even get
one bite. We arrived at Annapolis
shortly before 5 and were able to get a mooring ball. Amazingly, Sea Shadow, a Catalina 387 was on the mooring next to us. She is owned by Allan who befriended us when
we first arrived at Herrington Harbour South back in August, 2014. Dwayne hailed Allan who was much surprised to
see Dwayne and Foreign Affair since
the last time we were together was in July, 2016. We invited Allan and his wife over; however, they were
meeting their son and had other commitments in Annapolis. We will try to get together sometime in the
future.
Terry Arrives
Dwayne spent
the morning and afternoon at his brother’s relaxing and watching television. He
took Brian to Mission BBQ for lunch.
Then, Dwayne was off to pick up Terry at BWI airport. From there, it was on to Rock Hall. On the way, the car’s serpentine belt split
apart and about 1/3 of it remained on the pulley wheels while the rest was left
somewhere on the highway. It was decided
to continue on to Rock Hall as it was closer than Columbia and we didn’t want
to lose any additional time in getting to Foreign
Affair. The remainder of the belt
stayed intact for the rest of the trip.
Provisions and luggage were moved to the boat and it was off to the
Harbor Shack for dinner. After dinner, Terry
helped Dwayne install the cover for the steering wheel mechanism which was
removed when Dwayne tightened the steering wheel cable. Sheets were put on the beds and showers taken
before lights went out for the night.
All's Well That Ends Well
Carla flew
out of BWI and arrived at her daughter’s a few hours later. Dwayne’s day was not as smooth. First, he discovered he needed a very deep
well socket and long extension for the ratchet wrench in order to be able to
remove the lock nut and tighten the adjustment nuts on Foreign Affair’s steering wheel cable. Fortunately, one of the mechanics in the machine
shop had exactly what was needed for the job.
Dwayne was able to make the adjustment.
It just took longer due to having to find the tools for the job.
Flight Delayed and Orioles Game
Dwayne dropped
Carla off at BWI in plenty of time for her to catch her plane. About an hour later Carla called to inform
him that her flight was being delayed due to bad weather in Boston. As a result, she would miss her connecting
flight to Nashville and there were no later flights to get her there. Dwayne went back to the airport
to pick up Carla who hopes to fly out tomorrow.
In the end, it all worked out well as we were able to join Brian and
Janet for a night at Camden Yards to watch the Baltimore Orioles beat the
Pittsburgh Pirates. We even ended up on
television as a home run ball landed two rows in front of us. Brian posted the picture on Facebook. It was a good night at the ballpark. Dwayne drove back to Rock Hall so he could
meet with Bill, the marina service manager, so they could continue working
toward the repairs to Foreign Affair.
Haven Harbor Marina Rock Hall Day 3 and on to Columbia, MD
Bill, the Haven
Harbor Service Manager, came by at 0830 to advise us that Bob, the surveyor,
was running late and wouldn’t arrive until 1030 or so. Bill took a few minutes to examine the noise
coming from the pedestal when Foreign
Affair’s steering wheel was turned to the left. It was discovered the steering cable needed
to be tightened. Bill began the process
and showed Dwayne how to complete the work.
Carla did more laundry.
Haven Harbor Marina - Rock Hall Day 2
Frank and
Susan stopped by to visit. They brought
a bottle of wine and snacks to celebrate our return to Rock Hall. Frank was our instructor for the ASA docking
course. We have been friends ever
since. They live aboard S/V Rockhopper and spend spring through
fall on the Chesapeake Bay. They move
south for the winter. We haven’t seen
them since we were towed into Haven Harbour Marina after snagging a crab pot
last October. This spring, they were
headed north before we returned from the Bahamas.
So, we missed each other on the northbound journey. It is always good to run across old friends.
Magothy River Anchorage to Haven Harbor Marina – Rock Hall
We slept in
and ate a late breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast and orange juice. It was cool and overcast when we departed the
Magothy anchorage. The trip across the
Bay to Rock Hall was uneventful. We
arrived at the Haven Harbor Marina just before noon. We took on fuel and pumped out our holding
tank before moving to our slip which was right in front of the Haven Yacht Club
where members were celebrating the opening of the club for the season. The new officers were installed, the cannon fired
and the national anthem played. Carla
did laundry while Dwayne washed down the boat.
The hull needed a good scrubbing.
We are happy campers. Our water
tanks are full. We have “real” electricity and on-shore showers. The marina internet connection on the boat is
good. It doesn’t get much better than
this.
Little Choptank River – Cherry Point to Magothy River Anchorage
The watermen
woke us with the sound of their engines as they fished crabs out of the Little
Choptank. Here the watermen use
trotlines rather than crab pots to harvest their catch. A long line with dozens of baited hooks
strung between two buoys is used to capture the crabs. The watermen bring their boat to one of the
buoys and raise the line out of the water and set it on a roller which allows
them to move the boat along the line and net the crabs as the line moves toward
the water’s surface. The crabs tend to
hold onto the bait long enough to be netted by the watermen. This crabbing methods is our favorite as it
greatly reduces the number of buoys in the water compared to crabbing with crab
pots where each pot is marked with a buoy.
Reedville to Little Choptank River - Cherry Point Anchorage
It was a
bright, sunny, cool day when we left Reedville.
We departed at 0615 since we were going to try to reach Cherry Point on the Little Choptank
River before dark. Carla was reading about Harriet
Tubman who was a slave on a farm near Cherry Point. We enjoy anchoring on the creeks feeding the
Little Choptank as they can be deep, quiet and sparsely developed. It is good to be back on the Chesapeake Bay. We feel at home here.
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