Electing to depart

We are downbound on the Potomac River, having dropped lines in Washington, DC this morning at the turn of the tide. While I wrote in the last post that we'd be here perhaps a week or so, in fact today marks one day over two weeks, owing largely to pleasant weather and the arrival of dear friends. Before anyone asks, election day and any potential mayhem that may go along with it was not a factor in our decision to leave today, it's just high time to be moving further south before any truly cold weather sets in. As it happens, today is gorgeous and in the 70s.

This bald eagle was watchful as we passed fairly close aboard. May the republic be as steadfast.

When last I posted, we were upbound for the Alexandria Municipal Marina, where we tied up on a T-head that is pretty much the only spot there where we fit (map). We were all secure by 3:30, which gave us plenty of time in town. I set out on foot to see what had changed since our last visit, wherein we had arrived via the Metro from DC. The most obvious change of note is that the final two blocks of King Street have been cordoned off into a pedestrian mall, expanding the outside dining areas of the dozen or so restaurants there. We assume this to be the permanent result of pandemic-era outside dining expansion.

The easternmost two blocks of King are now a lovely pedestrian space.

It was a gorgeous evening and we ended up at one of those very tables, at Emmy Squared Pizza. They make thick Detroit-style pizza, which was quite good, and we enjoyed the people-watching on the street. We walked around a bit more after dinner. The historic downtown adjacent to the waterfront is arguably a nicer dockside neighborhood than the bustling Wharf development in DC.

Vector docked in Alexandria. National Harbor is to the left, and to the right, behind her, is the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

Monday morning we dropped lines at the last of the flood for the short three mile cruise to the Washington Channel. On our previous visits we've anchored for nearly the entirety of the visit, but this time we decided to indulge in the luxury of a dock at the somewhat reduced weekly rate. This decision proved prescient, as we noted the small anchorage was packed to the gills. On our last visit I wrote there was room for at most four boats, but we counted six. We backed in to our assigned slip (map) and were secured along side right at noon.

Full house in the Washington Channel anchorage.

We found our friends Dori and Bob, along with their dog Cali, aboard their lovely Ocean Alexander Liberdade, already docked at the club one pier over. We made plans to have dinner at the club later in the week; it was a nice evening that ended with some relatively soft live music, They introduced us to Anne and Sam that evening, also docked at the club aboard their North Pacific Samannetics.

Vector from the rooftop bar atop the Canopy by Hilton hotel.

The club is centrally located along The Wharf, a mixed-use development comprising offices, several hotels, residential buildings, a music venue, and lot of bars, restaurants, and clubs, along with a handful of other shops. I described this in great detail the last time around, so suffice it to say the parts that were unfinished then have since been filled in and the whole complex has become a vibrant part of the district. In addition to the yacht club, we also sampled Kirwans (Irish pub), Lucky Buns (burgers), Gordon Ramsey's Hell's Kitchen (high end American fare), and Lupo Marino (casual Italian).

A nice duo serenades us at the Capital Yacht Club bar.

In addition to those several sit-down meals, I also picked up take-out at Chopsmiths (salads and sandwiches, including breakfast) and Grazie Grazie (Italian deli sandwiches). That accounted for two dinners on evenings when Louise, who came down with a cold mid-stay, did not feel like leaving the boat, and also bagel sandwiches for breakfast on a couple of days. Like everything at The Wharf, the prices were high even for DC, but the convenience could not be beat. All of our meals at the Wharf were good, if not excellent, and I would not hesitate to return. Lucky Buns has a very limited menu, so you really have to be in that mood.

American Constitution docked at The Wharf. She had passed us at anchor a few days earlier.

One experience we'll definitely skip next time is dining out near the Safeway grocery store, where we walked our second day for a few provisions. We had planned to eat at a Korean joint called Momo, but as soon as we were seated, indoors I might add, Louise was being eaten alive by mosquitoes. So we went instead to Station 4, where the service was terrible, the decor gaudy, the prices sky-high, and the food just average.

This newer catamaran cruise ship took Constitution's place a few days later.

I had a lot of work to do while we were here, including finishing the work on the flybridge ladder as well as replacing the transfer switch that had a bit of a meltdown before we arrived. I tried to work every morning until lunch time, and after lunch I hoofed it around town to visit my favorite museums, monuments, and neighborhoods. In the evenings, we would go out someplace together.

A sure sign we need to move south -- the ice rink has been setup at The Wharf, and one at the Smithsonian as well.

On three of those evenings, we opted to scope out some neighborhoods that might be decent places for an extended stay; while it is not on the horizon, we are starting to think ahead to what comes after the boat, and DC is one of the cities where we can see ourselves settling in for a while. We explored Dupont Circle, where we dined al fresco at Mission, offering Mexican fare. We explored Cleveland Park, which we remembered from a previous visit and where we dined at Thai favorite Siam. And we visited "NoMa," where we had the least expensive meal of our entire visit at Andy's Pizza, but the neighborhood itself did not call us.

I arrived stag ahead of Louise at Dupont Circle after a day of walking and I needed a restroom. This was the answer; it's free, but you need to open it with your cell phone. A bit reminiscent of the J.C. Decaux fixtures in our former home town, San Jose.

We also took one evening out to visit our reciprocal club in town, the very upscale Army-Navy Club. The club was very nice, and the food was excellent, but we wish we had booked the much nicer formal dining room, jacket and tie required, than the causal Eagle Grill, which turned out to be in a windowless basement level. We'll keep that in mind if we return.

Leaving the Army-Navy club. We forgot to take a photo inside.

As the end of our pre-booked first week rolled around, I still had half-finished projects all over the boat, Louise was under the weather, neither of us felt "finished" with DC, and we also learned that good friends Dorsey and Bruce would be headed upriver for a DC stop of their own on their lovely American Tug, Esmeralde. So we extended our stay until "at least Friday," which later became "at least Monday, or maybe Tuesday."

We stopped for a drink one evening in the bar at the Waldorf-Astoria, in the historic Old Post Office. Afternoon Tea was being served behind us, complete with a harpist.

On Wednesday, Esmeralde arrived, steaming up the Washington Channel in regal style. Louise was at the worst of her cold, and just waved from the aft deck while I went to help them tie up. The three of us ended up eating together at Lucky Buns that evening, while Louise, who couldn't taste anything anyway, stayed home and subsisted on gruel.

Esmeralde steaming up the Washington Channel.

I ended up walking all over town with Bruce and Dorsey. It was nice to have the company, and they were appreciative of someone who already mostly knew his way around. My step count went up once they hit town, starting right off with a long walk around the Capitol. By Thursday evening Louise was feeling better, and we all headed over to the Navy Yard neighborhood, another on our short list, and had a nice dinner at Circa. We had booked the classic Old Ebbitt Grill near the White House, but evidently they had a pipe burst and waved us off early in the afternoon.

What a difference a half month makes. One lone boat in the anchorage.

One night Dorsey and Bruce fed us aboard Esmeralde, perhaps the best meal of the trip. We also got to enjoy the company of Maisie and Ollie, who were willing to shower us with affection -- and fur. And we all did finally circle back to Old Ebbitt Grill for our last night in town, where, again, the food and service was excellent.

Enjoying a glass of port aboard Esmeralde after the Old Ebbitt Grill.

On the project front I finished the flybridge ladder project, which involved more sanding and varnishing, caulking all the seams, fitting replacement panels at the hatchway itself, and then replacing all the trim and the retractable hatch screen. The parts for the transfer switch were delivered to me at the club and that came together after many hours; I think I may write that up as a dedicated blog post. (My torque wrench did not survive the process, so I now have something else to fix.) I also repaired our weather station using a hangar queen from eBay.

Ladder complete.

When I wasn't working I made it to the National Air and Space Museum, which is down to less than half its normal size due to renovations, the National Museum of American History, the Spy Museum, the National Archives, the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and several of the war memorials. I also rode out to Crystal City for one last look at the "underground" mall connecting all the buildings, which literally closed for good this month. After that bit of nostalgia I walked to Pentagon City, more of a going concern, before riding back to the Wharf. I passed a number of big-box stores, including Costco, on my walk.

Introducing Blair Leslie, archaeologist from Rio de Janeiro. The "cover" I was issued at the Spy Museum. I really wanted to see their whizzy new building, but the whole experience fell short of the $35 admission. 

That maybe sounds like not a lot for a two week visit, and that's probably right for a first visit. But after nearly two full months in DC across two previous visits in Vector, not to mention previous visits in Odyssey and having come here on and off for most of my life, there's not a lot left on the "must see" list, leaving me to casually wander back to my favorites. If you want to read my write-up of more museums and memorials and see more photos around town, feel free to read through these previous posts:

2018 visit, part 1

2018 visit, part 2

2015 visit, part 1

2015 visit, part 2

We returned home one evening to find paramedics on the dock with a gurney and the fireboat two slips down (where Esmeralde eventually docked). Apparently someone on the superyacht at the end of the pier took ill.

I enjoyed meeting blog readers Joel, who keeps his boat at the Yacht Club, and Glenn, who works in DC and was wandering through The Wharf. And yesterday as a last hurrah I walked out to and around the Washington Navy Yard, a walk of perhaps five miles, taking in the goings-on along the Anacostia, including the spiffy new bridge.

The new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge over the Anacostia. The through arches on either side only connect below the road deck.

This morning after taking on water and offloading the trash and recycling, we settled our account at the yacht club and said our good-byes to Dorsey and Bruce, who are staying on another day or two, before dropping our lines. Fittingly, just as we were approaching Mount Vernon, we passed a bald eagle perched regally atop a channel buoy. We've had the river almost entirely to ourselves, and the fall color has been delightful, if a bit distant to capture with a cell phone camera.

George Washington's Mount Vernon, in the autumn color.

Update: We are anchored in the Potomac off Stuart Point, just downriver of Fairview Beach (map). We had a fair current most of the day and pushed just the last hour against the flood. With south winds it is flat calm here, and the peace and quiet is a stark contrast from the hustle and bustle of DC. In the morning we will leave on the ebb and should be close to the mouth of the Potomac when we end our day. By Thursday we will be southbound on the Chesapeake Bay, and I expect we will be in the Hampton Roads area on Friday. That's a busy area and I don't expect I'll get back to the blog until we are in the North River and crossing Albemarle Sound in about a week's time.

We anchored just as the sun went down. I tried to catch the afterglow, with the moon and Venus at upper left.

Now please enjoy these photos that I took around DC; I had 50 photos (out of maybe four times that many in my camera roll) for this post, far too many to put in-line:

The outdoor sculpture garden at the Hirshorn Museum has been removed for a facelift.

The carousel on the mall is also missing on account of renovations.

Speaking of missing, the catenary wires have been gone from this rail spur into the city for years, but the very permanent warning signs remain. Freight and the Virginia Rail Express use this line.

Obligatory shot of the Capitol through the mall. Smithsonian tower at right. The crane is the one working the Hisrshorn sculpture garden; the garden is much lower than that, but the crane needs to be able to swing completely over the Hirshorn Museum.

General William Tecumseh Sherman. One of the few monuments in Presidents Park still accessible to the public. Alexander Hamilton just a few dozen yards away is off limits. 

That's Alex at left, outside the south entrance to the Treasury Building. This is the oldest agency building in the capital; only the White House and the Capitol have been occupied longer. It appears on the $10 bill.

The view down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. Willard hotel at left, Old Post Office Tower with the Bells of Congress on right.

The north entrance of the White House partly obscured by the reviewing stand being constructed for the inauguration. That's Old Hickory on the horse.

Casey Jones was one of my childhood heroes. This was his original grave marker, before his story became larger than life and he got a granite monument.

I'd like to think Erin Sills might also be someone's childhood hero. This is the BMW S 1000 RR on which she broke the land speed record. 

The original studio model of the original USS Enterprise.

A collection of studio vehicles from James Bond films. It was a $10 add-on at the Spy museum which took all of ten minutes to see.

This pair of electric GSA fleet vehicles is out from of the Department of Energy building.

Cardinal represent! IYKYK.

This original costume was in an exhibit on entertainment. I hope it stays that way.

Robert Pirsig's actual Honda from Zen and the Art.

A section of the Greensboro lunch counter. I cried.

Inside the cavernous Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. My camera could not get it all.

The rotunda of the National Archives. Those are the actual Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights in the cases. I cried here, too.

Darlington Fountain in Judiciary Square. Those are the DC Courts of Appeals behind her. Behind me is the courthouse where judge Tanya Chutkan is presiding over an historic case.

Walking to NoMa on this raised pedestrian path I encountered my first and only homeless encampment on this visit.

Inside the Queen City sculpture commemorating the 1941 seizure of black-owned lands, across from the Amazon HQ in Arlington. See link for description.

I came across this 9/11 Pentagon attack retrospective in the Pentagon City shopping center.

Another obligatory shot, standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Nicola Tesla is spinning in his grave. Across from Audi Field.

These Limes were fished out of the Anacostia.

I did not recognize it when I saw this at the Navy Yard a few years ago, but now it is unmistakable to me: this Vietnam-era "swift boat" is basically an offshore workboat with armament added.

Actual gas lamps inside Old Ebbitt Grill, even though the current space only dates back to 1983. This was right above my head.

A capital idea

We are under way upbound on the Potomac River, bound for Washington, DC and the Capital Yacht Club. It's a three-day cruise for us from the Chesapeake Bay to DC, and we are part of the way through day two, somewhere between Quantico and Mount Vernon. Tonight we should be in Alexandria, Virginia.

Sunrise eclipse this morning.

We had a pretty comfortable night in Annapolis harbor Thursday night, and the repaired transfer switch worked fine when we started the gen in the morning for heat. A short while later the Low Battery warning light alerted me to the fact that the battery charger was not working, which I attributed to perhaps leaving its breaker off in the engine room after the work. Alas, it was not so simple.

Not something you see every day. Annapolis water taxi pushing a building, probably boat show teardown.

The breaker was, in fact, on, and I had good power on both input legs but only one of the two output legs was hot. I pulled the breaker, cleaned the contacts, and operated the handle back and forth several times, and all was working fine after I re-installed it. It's weird to have two electrical problems like this so close together in time. And space -- the troublesome breaker is just a couple of feet from the transfer switch.

Transfer switch postmortem

I've ordered a whole new contactor -- Schneider has updated the design a bit from Telemecanique's original -- and I will be rewiring the whole thing when it arrives. Like the NTSB, I hunted down all the broken bits of the old one and reconstructed it, wherein I determined that aging contacts contributed as much or more to the ohmic heating as did any wire clamping force.

Passing a RoRo. They're huge.

We left Annapolis harbor on the turn of the tide, running down bay to Solomons. We are firmly embedded in the southbound migration now, with a pack of perhaps a dozen of us all making the same leg. It drives the ship pilots nuts; we moved out of the way for one preemptively while he was still five miles behind us. Being one of the slowest boats in the fleet, we of course arrived to Solomons to find our preferred anchorage nearly full. We dropped the hook three separate times before we were comfortable with our swing in the tight anchorage (map).

Sunset over the Patuxent, as seen from the Island Hideaway.

From that anchorage it is a short tender ride to our favorite joint, the Island Hideaway. No longer hidden, it, too, was very busy, and we were happy to score a table. We had a nice sunset walk along the Patuxent River waterfront before returning home. We arrived at Vector to find two more boats squeezed into the anchorage, in spots we had rejected as too tight. We decked the tender to be ready for a morning departure.

Vector as seen from Captain Billy's.

Saturday we weighed anchor on an outgoing tide, timed to arrive at the mouth of the Potomac at slack, and we had a nice push all day. We left the pack behind after angling toward Point Lookout from Point No Point, and had the river mostly to ourselves after rounding Point Lookout. It's a rare day we can have a fair tide from sunup to sundown, and we took full advantage, pushing all the way to dinner time and dropping the hook in a familiar place near Newburg, Maryland (map).

I liked this look, coming home from dinner.

The last time we anchored here, we tendered ashore to a fun beach bar called Gilligan's. Sadly they closed down a couple of years ago, and this time we settled for Captain Billy's Crab House next door. It was not bad for a fried-seafood joint, and we learned from the friendly server that this coming Saturday is the last day of the season for them.

We woke to temperatures in the 30s, making mist over the river, backlit by the sunrise.

This morning we made a dawn start to catch the last of the flood. We followed the tail of the flood upriver for a long way, and made better time than I expected. While I had figured to stop somewhere short of National Harbor today, we've made such good time we could actually make it all the way to DC. We've booked a slip at the Capital Yacht Club starting tomorrow, and it sounded like it was not available today, so we will instead stop three miles short, at the Alexandria Municpal Docks. This will be our first visit to Alexandria on the boat.

We passed this nesting pair of bald eagles this morning. My phone could not do justice.

I expect this will be my last blog post until we are on our way back downriver, after perhaps a week in DC. We are supposed to have gorgeous fall weather until late in the week, when it starts to get chilly again, and we'll be looking at the regional weather forecasts and the Chesapeake Bay marine forecast to plan our actual departure date.