5-31-12 Deltaville to Colonial Beach

Betsy heads for a creek

Speaking of rowing, it is not as easy as it looks, and I now have a much greater appreciation for what our newfound friend Lewis is doing.  You will remember from our last post that Lewis is rowing from Miami to New York to raise money for Alzheimer’s research.  We’ve kept track of his progress after meeting him on several occasions.  As of this writing, he has been all the way up the Potomac to Washington, and will probably re-enter the Chesapeake tomorrow.  He spent the night on the way up and the way back with some boating friends of ours that met him at the same time we did.  Margi and Rick Decatur live just off the Potomac on Aquia Creek, so Lewis pulled into their dock for a real bed and home cooked meals.  We intend to do the same thing this Friday as we make our way up to DC.  We had hoped to cross paths with Lewis again yesterday, but we didn’t see him.  Actually, the marina that we left yesterday morning was expecting him the day before, but bad weather must have delayed him and I think he probably just bypassed that marina because it was out of the way.  Read more about Lewis and donate to the cause at www.iamfinechallenge.org.

Olverson’s from the Dinghy

On May 24, we headed back out into the Bay, with the Potomac River as our destination.  Olverson’s Marina is just a few miles inside the mouth of the Potomac, up the beautiful Yeocomico River.  It had been highly recommended to us by some friends, who described it as “rustic, a place you have to see to believe.”  Well, we have to agree with them, Olverson’s can’t really be described, it has to be experienced.  Freddie Olverson moved to this location with his father when he was 12 and they built the marina together.  Freddie is now 76, and I think most of the docks are the original ones that he built as a boy.  They are fixed docks, with covered walkways.  Every day at about 5:30 transients and a few locals, including Freddie and his wife Cas, meet at the “liars corner” for docktails.  Our first night there Freddie and Cas put us in their car and took us to a local restaurant called “Good Eats.”  Out in the middle of nowhere, it is a place you would never stop at on your own, but the special that night was prime rib, and I must say it was some of the finest prime rib I’ve ever eaten.  As recommended, we split an order and it was plenty for two.  Sorry we didn’t get a picture of Good Eats from the outside, but picture an old filling station that has had the pumps removed and an addition on the back.

Freddie has 3 courtesy cars that you can just take any time you wish….problem is there’s really not much reason to take them because there is nothing nearby!  Friday night we went to a place he had recommended for Pizza and again, it was good.  Then Saturday night we went to a place called “Luna’s” that had, again, excellent food.  They also had  a magician/mentalist that was entertaining.  So my suggestion is if you ever stay at Olverson’s take Freddie up on his dining recommendations.  You can tell by looking at him and Cas that they know their restaurants!  In this little tiny out of the way place, actually 3 towns, there are numerous award winning restaurants.  If you want to see where we are on a map, the 3 towns are Calleo, Heathsville and Lottsburg, VA.  Kinsale is also nearby.  Put them all together and I’d bet there aren’t a thousand people!  This area is referred to as the “northern neck” because it is the northernmost of 3 peninsulas jutting into the Chesapeake Bay on its western side.

Saturday we also (again at Freddie’s recommendation) went to the local annual Strawberry Festival at the Episcopal Church.  There were about 75 vendors of homemade items, plenty of food, and strawberry shortcake.  There was also a gospel/folk trio that we really enjoyed listening to.

Olverson’s Marina is actually “Olverson’s Lodge Creek Yacht Club.”  We had joined an organization called MTOA (Marine Trawler Owner’s Assoc.) a few months ago, and Olverson’s is their home marina.  By being a member of MTOA we are also now “members” of a “Yacht Club” which gives us reciprocal benefits at other yacht clubs throughout the country, often one or two nights of free dockage.  We got our first free night at Olverson’s, which covers about half the cost of annual membership.  It will be interesting to see if we can actually get free nights at other official yacht clubs!

We stayed over an extra day because the winds Tuesday were in the 10 to 15 knot category, and yesterday they were supposed to be only about 5 knots.  We still have plenty of time to get to Washington by Saturday, when our 2 week reservation begins.  As predicted the winds yesterday were very calm and, in spite of a misty rain, we had an excellent run to Colonial Beach, just over 35 miles.  We’ve never been here before, but so far I can’t see much reason to come back!  This place is deader than Olverson’s and doesn’t have courtesy cars, Freddie, or award winning restaurants!  We had reservations, but once we arrived we couldn’t rouse them on the radio so had to flounder around figuring where to dock and tie up ourselves.  The internet is awful, there is no lounge or cable TV (which we haven’t had since Norfolk but can usually watch stuff using the internet and slingbox).  I rode my bike into “town” but everything (what little there is) is closed.  I’m sure this is a hopping place in the summer….there is a nice waterfront….but I am disappointed.  I don’t know what I was expecting but this ain’t it!

The Potomac River as seen from Colonial Beach, VA

I will also point out that last night was our first night “alone.”  Up until then we’ve been with loopers every night since leaving Topsail in late April.