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THE POTOMAC
We were excited to be heading up the Potomac on our way to Washington DC, our country’s capitol, and on a boat no less. It was symbolic for us after the long trip we made. The stretch is about 96 miles which is a good day’s cruise. It can be a day against currents and those afternoon squalls which can make for a day too long, so Larry decided to break it up and spend the night about half way up at Colonial Beach. It was one of the few places on the Potomac that could take our draft of 6 feet and we still weren’t that convinced since the charts did not show it deep enough. It was marked at 3 feet. Larry called the dock master a few times to make sure the depths were OK and we were reassured each time.
The mouth of the Potomac is wide and on a
typical hazy day you can’t see the other side. We had read and heard from
others that the entrance can be difficult depending on the winds and currents so
as we got inside and up the mouth a ways we relaxed more. The weather, wind and
currents were not testing us today. The cruise was pretty uneventful as far as
sites. The shoreline was dull and grey in the haze with low lying landscape,
sprinkled with scattered houses. The only thing of visible interest was passing the huge white cross mounted on top of St. Clements Island. This spot was the original stopping point for Lord Calvert and his settlers as they looked for a place to settle and practice their religious beliefs. That was more than 300 years ago. The cross is marks that historical landmark. As we approached Colonial Beach, we were anxiously tense, as it definitely went against our grain to go somewhere where the charts say it’s not deep enough. We were going totally on the faith of what the dock master said. For the past few months, in the shallow waters of the ICW and Chesapeake, we have to rely heavily upon local knowledge of the existing conditions and have learned to give the locals a lot of trust that they are telling you right. We were putting a lot of faith in this person that we had never met.
Of course, our daily test came, when the
typical afternoon squall hit just as we were trying to find the markers leading
us into the entrance of Colonial Beach. We held our position until the storm blew by, thank goodness they don’t last very long, and then we headed in. We called the marina on the radio to let them know we were coming. Though Larry had called them several times to confirm depths and space and when we would be there, they seemed not to know who we were or that we had a reservation, but directed us in. That in itself was not reassuring when we were counting on them about the depths. The channel at the entry was very narrow and is known to have strong currents. We could feel the current as it swished us in. The dock master said the slip would be the second dock on the right as we entered and they would have someone there to show us where it was and help with the lines.
As we swished through the narrow channel, there
was no one around, and we could not seem to figure out where the slip was
according to their instructions. Nothing made sense. We were nervous because
the water was extremely shallow and we didn’t want to get into trouble going
were it wouldn’t be deep enough. We thought that maybe we were supposed to go
in farther to the inner harbor but still couldn’t see anyone. I called again on
the radio and said we were confused about where we were supposed to go and
needed more directions. She answered back, saying that we went by the slips. I
looked back at the entrance and someone was slowly walking down the road from a
building about 100 yards away. I couldn’t believe that that was the
person that was going to show us the place! Why weren’t they there to show us?
They finally got to some raggedy looking docks right IN THE CHANNEL!
Larry turned the boat around and headed back
out the channel to what they called “the slip”. The current was running strong
in through the channel. We are examining the slip and thinking we’ve got to
head into this strong current at it’s narrowest point and turn the boat sideways
and try to get her in, all the while the current is running right through the
piers of the dock. I’m thinking and then I have to get our lines secured on the
fixed dock, which are always a challenge. I won’t be able to get off the boat
to do it as the height wasn’t right. I’ll have to rely on this person to get
her tied. She, the slow walking dock hand, was in no hurry to help us. She just
kind of stood there and still we weren’t sure exactly where they wanted us. I’m
getting pretty exasperated with her by now and my anger is starting to brew.
The current was running and Larry was having a very difficult time,
understandably, trying to get into the slip.
This
place was generally a bad experience and I wasn’t too happy about staying here
but there were no other options at this point. The parking lot and road that
lead up to the “dock” where we were, was filled in with gravel except for the
area where the transients have to dock and that would be us. That area was just
left unfilled except for dirt that was just one big muddy area. So every time
we would come and go from the boat we had to deal with that and try not to track
it into the boat. You’d think at least they could have put some gravel there
for their guests! We asked if there was a car rental or some means of
transportation that we could use to see the area. They said “no”, that the
only thing would be to rent a golf cart in town.
The golf cart rental guy came by and picked us up to take us to their rental office. He was a character too. I asked if there was a good place that he could recommend to eat since the marina restaurant was closed. He was hard struck to recommend anything. He finally recommended one place. We drove by it later and it looked so terrible that we decided to pass on it. So we discarded any of his other recommendations. The owner of the shop said it was our “lucky day” as he was going to rent us “his favorite golf cart” which looked pretty bad. It was so noisy that you couldn’t hear yourself think and seemed to stall at every opportunity. We were lucky to get a hand sketched map of the area as it was badly zerox’d. We were told where we could go and where we couldn’t. We had geographical limits. We asked if there was anything of interest that we should drive by and see and where the grocery store was. It was like pulling teeth to get any information from these people. They couldn’t think of a thing that we should go see. We decided we’d figure it out on our own. What was the matter with these people? CLICK ON ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE
We left the golf cart rental place, glad to get out of there, and drove around town. This place was really something or rather really not something. It looked financially depressed. There was nothing much here except small 1950’s cottages with chotsky in the front yards. We never saw so much chotsky. It was like the economically strapped vacation village. It was like a town built and decorated from the flea market. Each yard had so much ornamental junk that it was comical. We decided to make a needed run to the grocery store and stock up as there was nothing else that we could find to do. As we got to the edge of town, we spotted the grocery store. It was the one that the golf cart rental guy told us about. Just as we were about to cross the road to get to the store, we noticed a big sign saying “No golf carts beyond this point!” The market was well down the road and across a busy highway. There was no way we could go by foot and carry the groceries back across the highway, so we said “the heck with it” and went forward. It was like dodging bullets as cars whizzed by. We managed to duck into the parking lot of the grocery store.
When I checked out and went out the door, not
knowing what I’d find, there was no sight of Larry and Ziggy in the golf cart
anywhere in the parking lot. I looked everywhere and then noticed the entrance
to the CVS (drugstore) next door. Several people we huddled there under the
small awning and there was Larry and Ziggy. Larry had literally driven the golf
cart up on the sidewalk and under the overhang. It was the funniest thing I
ever saw. I laughed so much. We just sat there and waited the storm out which
was only a few minutes. After the storm let up, we dodged the traffic again to get across the “no golf cart zone” and headed back. Since the restaurant at the marina was closed and it was raining cats and dogs, we decided to eat in. Though the slip was in a stupid place, right in the center of the channel, it was good for people watching. We saw everyone going in and out of the protected inlet, people fishing off the dock, and all sorts of wildlife floating by. The current was giving rides to everything and anything that was floating. The direction just depended on which way the current was going. If it was going out to the Potomac, that’s the way they went and vice versa. It was comical and ended up to be a pleasant place to rest up for that reason alone. Though there wasn’t anything in Colonial Beach worth seeing we decided to spend another day to let the bad weather blow through and just take a break. We had a nice meal on the boat and called it a day. The next day we asked again at the dock office if there was a taxi, bus or any kind of transportation to take us to the nearby sites and they all said “no”. We asked the people at the golf cart rental place and they said “no”. I just couldn’t believe that within a few miles were these important things to see and no way to get there from this god forsaken place. This was just the most frustrating place that we’d been the whole trip since we left San Diego!. I spent the morning, between rain showers, kayaking the little bay and followed a family of swans on their travels around the bay. The Southside of the bay was lined with marsh lands and I hugged the shore of that area and listened to the birds and frogs. The other side was marina after marina for small power boats. As I paddled further into the bay, the shores were lined with trailer parks and it wasn’t a pretty sight. Yippee! The marina restaurant was open today so we had lunch and dinner there. The food was good and it was an upside to our visit. The restaurant or tavern was supposed to be a historical building but their remodel didn’t leave many traces of history intact. It just looked like a typical 1950’s style building with clapboard siding. CLICK ON ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE
We walked the shore that afternoon with Ziggy to see what was known as the old colonial beach. The town, has created small wading areas along the Potomac, with small breakwater dividers made of piled up rocks. A few residents were sunning themselves on the small beaches and wading in the man made “ponds”. There was quite a bit of scum in the water along the shoreline and it didn’t look like a pleasant place to swim. I was even hesitant to let Ziggy swim in it but it was fun to pick up shells along the shore as we walked along. We were glad to be on our way in the morning. I think part of the problem with Colonial Beach was that it was hit hard by last year’s hurricane and they really don’t have their act together yet. They’ve been renting out the two transient slips in the channel as the rest of the marina pretty much looks like it was either washed away or damaged. We saw a few building structures that looked like they had some serious damage. The cruising book says it’s a wonderful stop with great restaurants and shops which really wasn’t even close to an accurate description of the place. We decided we didn’t want to stop here on the way back down the Potomac. We’ll instead just make a long day of it and anchor at St. Mary’s. I was later angered when in DC, we spoke to another boater who had just come from Colonial Beach. He said the marina lent him their “courtesy car” so they could see the surrounding sites and do their grocery shopping! This just topped the cake! This really has been the only stop since January where we felt the people were neither friendly, nor hospitable and the conditions were terrible for the price of the dockage. I wouldn’t recommend this stop.
We passed large satellite dishes, larger than I’d ever seen and soon we passed Quantico on our left. We could see a large gathering on a large lawn area with several government vehicles, tanks and war equipment. We passed another area, a marina of sort, that was filled with marine defense boats, standing ready to go into action at any moment. It was intimidating but yet at the same time exhilarating as we felt the presence and strength of our defense department, here, ready to protect the nations capitol. It was impressive.
We left Colonial Beach early as we headed out to the markers leading us to the deeper water of the Potomac. We were a little concerned about the nearby firing range off Colonial Beach at the naval Surface Weapons Center in Dahlgren, VI. We saw one of the watch towers in Colonial Beach the day before. We did not hear any warnings or activity on VHF Channel 16 so we proceeded on with no problem. As we got further up the Potomac though we did hear the Dahlgren Range Patrol boat giving instructions to another boater to avoid the area while they did practice exercises. Guess we timed it just right.
We were very excited at the prospect of seeing
Mt. Vernon. We had it circled on the chart in bright marker so we would not
miss it. We anxiously peered around the bend in the river to catch our first
glimpse. It was majestic and looks just as it looked when George Washington
lived there. It was fun to imagine him pulling up to his dock with others
important people, such as Thomas Jefferson to discuss important government
matters. The opposite side of the river is still natural with no buildings
preserving exactly the same view that Washington must have enjoyed from the
porch of this impressive building. It sent chills up my back. We were seeing
this historic river just as many of our early colonists must have viewed it. We
had inquired about spending the night at their dock but they said they did not
allow that. We could’ve docked the boat for a few hours to see the estate but
we were anxious to get to Washington and secure our slip since it was difficult
to get a slip in DC. We had a reservation for one but wanted to make sure we
got there without a glitch. As we headed on up the river, Mt. Vernon disappeared in the distance behind us. We soon passed old Fort Washington on our right. It was perched on a hill and still looks as it must have when it protected our nation’s Capitol from the old wooden war ships heading up this way. Those ships first had to contend with the strategically located fort before they could threaten the Capitol. As we came closer to the Capitol, we began to see some pretty wonderful houses along the shores. Some were old and stately and others new and humongous. It was a pleasant cruise with wonderful things to see as we slowly passed along.
Well, it was pleasant until we started to
notice the debris in the water from a recent rain storm. There were logs,
trees, buckets, chairs, anything you could imagine. It was amazing. We had
never seen anything like it. It was dangerous and I spent the rest of the
cruise on the bow of the boat directing Larry away from dangerous obstacles.
Some areas were so full of garbage that we had to veer completely out of the
channel to avoid problems and then we sometimes became so preoccupied with the
junk that we forgot about the depths. Fortunately we didn’t snag anything but
it was difficult all the way to DC. We were amazed throughout this journey that we were the only boat that we saw cruising up to the Capitol. As we neared Alexandria we passed under a huge bridge under construction. As we passed under we found ourselves now following a real paddle wheeler just on the other side. A day tourist boat leaving from the Alexandria dock to cruise up the Potomac past DC I imagine. It was having a difficult time also trying to avoid the logs and debris. I could imagine that a log would’ve done some serious damage to those wooden paddles. Alexandria was a beautiful small historic town on our left and we decided we’d come back by car to explore it while we’re here. It dates back to 1749 and is still pretty much preserved in its original condition. We began to see huge government facilities as we neared the capitol and then the most exciting thing was to see the Washington Monument spire reaching above the city skyline. We just couldn’t believe that we were here. It was as exciting to us as going through the Panama Canal. This was our country’s capitol and we made a long hard journey to get here.
Our home for the night was to be at the
Gangplank Marina. We hailed them on the radio and they gave us our slip
assignment which he said was right next to the 260 Odyssey. We cruised by and
couldn’t believe that THAT was where we were to be docked. We would be between
two tourist dinner and lunch cruise ships that go in and out of the marina all
day long. We asked if there was another spot but he said that was the only
thing available and big enough for us. So with no other option, we reluctantly
pulled in and docked. It was such a disappointment to our excited build up to being here. Larry went up to the office to check in and I sat on the fly bridge looking at these two mega monster tourist boats that were running their generators to keep their air conditioning going. I’m sure they must run those things all day long. The fumes were unbearable. I had to go back inside the boat to get relief. I thought, this is going to be horrible. Not only could I not breathe but the noise was awful and then everyday, several times a day, hundreds of tourists would be coming on and off the boat and peering over at us. This was not going to work. When Larry came back we both discussed how awful it was going to be to stay here two weeks. We knew that accommodations here in DC were next to none but there must be another place. Larry called a couple other marinas but they couldn’t accommodate our size. We then wondered about calling the Capitol Yacht Club to see if they had room and would reciprocate. We were in luck they did and had space. We walked down the boardwalk to check it out and it was well on the other end of the chaos of our location and even closer to the Washington Mall. We said we’d take it. It wasn’t more than a half hour before we checked out of the Gangplank, got our money back, untied the lines and headed down the channel and pulled in to our permanent slip for the next two weeks at the Capitol Yacht Club. The Capitol Yacht Club slip was perfect. It was next to the end, and no obstructed views of the river. We looked out over the water to a green tree filled park and our other view was the Washington Monument. It was great. We were welcomed by the great people at the Club and its Commodore and spent the first evening at their Happy Hour. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day. Now we had two weeks to spend exploring DC and waiting for friends to join us, those we hadn’t seen for months since Costa Rica. We were homesick for our friends and looked forward to exploring this great city together. What could be better? Now on to WASHINGTON
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I couldn’t
believe that THAT was where we were supposed to dock. The “docks” were a
wreck and we had missed them completely, never even considering it a place where
we would tie up. I was irritated at this person for not meeting us there and
describing the location better as we had now entered the inner harbor. Now we
had to turn around in the very shallow waters and head back into the strong
current of the channel to dock. To our right were more docks that were in a
complete shambles and weren’t even connected to the land. What kind of place is
this? 
The current was so strong that the
bow thrusters were useless. Larry had to make three tries and I must say the
dock hand did not have a clue as to how to tie the boat which didn’t help as the
current was taking the boat with it. Finally some guy came out from the dock
office and got the lines and was able to help get her tied as the woman was
useless. We finally got her secure and I made a comment that the current was
making the landing difficult and the woman said there was no current. She said
that we should be here when the current is really running. I couldn’t believe
she said that because obviously the current was running. So far, I was not
impressed with this place and the people. She was very unfriendly and not
helpful and rude on top of it. The docks were crummy and almost falling apart
and to put a dock right in the stupid channel was ridiculous! We had to retie
all the lines as the way they tied them made no sense. The power was mediocre
and then on top of it off, the one and only restaurant here was closed! 
We thought, better than
nothing, so we made arrangements to get a golf cart. If nothing else at least
we could see what was here in Colonial Beach and get some groceries. I had
wanted to get a car and see the nearby Monroe Creek, the birthplace of George
Washington and I had my heart set on seeing Westmoreland State Park and its Horsehead Cliff’s for kayaking and searching for fossilized sharks teeth. I
also had planned to see Stratford Hall Plantation, the birthplace of Robert E.
Lee. We won’t be able to see those by golf cart, that’s for sure. 
Zig and Larry stayed outside in the golf cart
while I went in and stocked up. It was a good grocery store which is about the
only thing in town that I liked. They had a good produce department and
everything else looked fresh and neat. While I was in there I began to hear the
standard thunder storm. It just got increasing louder. It was a big one. Soon
it was a roaring storm equipped with ear popping thunder and flashing
lightening. I was worried about Ziggy who is terrified of the lighting and
thunder and worried about Larry in the down pour. I hurried as fast as I could
and wondered what it must be like out therein the golf cart. As I was standing
at the check out stand, it became dark as night outside with the dark rain
clouds. I couldn’t imagine going out there in this let alone what it must be
like for Larry waiting for me. 
It was a beautiful sunny day and we were
excited about the prospect of reaching Washington DC this afternoon. The river
was wide and continually made wide curves throughout the day. We stayed
carefully within all the markers. We passed under the Harry W. Nice Bridge
which was huge and had a clearance of 135 feet allowing some pretty large
oceangoing vessels to pass through here, heading up to Alexandria and DC. 
