What's in Deltaville you ask? Nothing but Doziers! Why Dozier's you ask? Because I needed a Marina in Deltaville to stop on my way to the Potomac to see George's farm. I'm glad I didn't bite off too much travel time and distance because we got a little late start.
Celia was in Niagara Falls last week and her sister dropped her off in Norfolk to rejoined the ride on PHANTOM in until she has to leave for Oregon in her quest to retrieve a car. Her son is leaving his job and he and his girl friend are returning to the Choo Choo City...... Chattanooga! They needed a driver for one of their cars back from Oregon so Celia, loving to drive volunteer! Now you see why she likes to ride with me. No? Let's just say she likes to go anywhere and I like to have her because she enjoys the ride.... however, it has been a rather bumpy to date for her.
So we got a little late start on the trip to the Potomac. The ride wasn't too bad BUT the wind was pretty fierce once out in the Chesapeake. Not uncomfortable but certainly a difference from the comfortable ride up the AICW and without the drama of "shoaling"!
Here's where I need to interject a BIG THANK YOU to Joe Blanchard! I wouldn't be where I am today without Joe's help! That means "where I am on Phantom's Great Loop '17"! You may have heard my story about losing my crew a few days before I started this journey (and there's no reason to repeat that here) just believe me, 5 days before take-off, I didn't have any crew to go with!
Joe had expressed an interest long before to go with me "some" whenever I finally started. He had completed his Loop in 2015 so he knew it pretty well. Well he ended up being a mentor (I had never really done ANY long range cruising, let alone short range) but here I was now leaving with no crew. I called Joe and he said he could start and stay only until around 1 May. We agreed to start somewhere around 20 March. I won't go into my hassle with Caterpillar her (I'll tell this story later) but when he came, I still wasn't ready! He helped tremendously that last week and we finally shoved off a week later on the 27 March.
My 1st big adventure started with a bang! We planned to run mostly outside and fast for PHANTOM. We were not going to do any stops in Florida to site-see. Been there, done that! No stops in GA or SC except Charleston. By pass it on the outside too because "there's nothing there but bugs" said Joe. Only probably most of the Loop and how long it takes you is Mr Weatherman (person). No cooperation from him/her so we ended up inside on the ICW, except for the first day.
Joe handled the "ground crew" to take care of securing of the lines (ropes to you)! His father was a lobster fisherman in MA so he got an excellent education from him. He learned it well too. We did not lose PHANTOM one single night after he tied and re-tied it up I'm glad to say! Wether I learned anything or not remains to be seen until the end of my Loop, but I can happily say.... I haven't lost it the first 2 nights!
Joe did 99% of the course planning and we did arrive in Norfolk. Because I had planned to attend the AGLCA Rendezvous in New Bern NC on the 25th of April and Joe had to be back in MA by 1 May, I decided I'd leave her in Norfolk. Joe had planned to continue on and see I got as far as Baltimore by then but that would mean I would miss seeing many of the things I had heard about in the Chesapeake so this is where Joe left me.
Again, he is the ONLY reason I'm here. Without his help I'd still be in Tarpon Springs playing Harbor Host (which by the way I really enjoy the opportunity to meet the loops stopping there). Joe helped in every possible way, checking docking lines, checking engines, giving me tips and pointers on every aspect of "doing the Loop", telling me things his father taught him, cooking (no just kidding, that's a joke), route planning, safety, radio procedures, exploring the towns along the way to include cemeteries (including writings on a grave stone, which told about a man a long time ago whose very young daughter died on a sailing ship that preserved her body in a keg of rum until he got home to bury her in Beaufort NC), and much, much more I can't even think about putting down here now at 1:45 in the morning.
So Joe, again thanks for getting me going and I hope I listened close enough, retained enough, that the weather Gods will shine on me, and Lady Luck plays her part as well.... but, without you,
I WOULDN'T BE WHERE I AM TODAY!
Thanks Joe!
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