A list of cars we used on the trip:
1. My car – I originally drove it out to Branford and used it until we left Branford Landing Marina. It sat all summer at Greenwich Day School (many thanks to Meridith and Bobby!). Then, I came by and picked it up before driving it back to Peoria.
2. Margaret’s car – Margaret joined me a week later in Branford, driving out after her semester was over. She left her car at Branford Landing Marina and picked it up on her way back to Peoria from Norfolk (and she has some stories to tell about that experience).
3. Enterprise rental car in Port Jefferson – We needed a new water pump, which could only be purchased across Long Island, requiring us to rent the car. We ended up using it for about a dozen other trips to Home Depot and West Marine, as well as some other errands, too.
Port Marine Supply with our rental car in the foreground.
4. Chip and Barbara’s Jeep in Cape May – Chip and Barbara generously lent us their car for the ten days we were in Cape May. And boy did we use it, taking the outboard to get overhauled, making numerous provisioning runs, buying boat parts all over town, and just enjoying Cape May.
Chip and Barbara’s Jeep!
5. Hitchhiking in Frederickton, MD – On one of the hottest days of the summer, Margaret and I had walked to the next town over to use the library. It turned out the library sucked, and we quickly left, still hot and more annoyed. Walking back we started hitchhiking and were picked up by an interesting woman originally from Oxford, MS, where I had worked for a year.
6. My folks car in Annapolis – My parents came up to spend a couple days with us in Annapolis. They ended up driving us all over the place for provisions, parts, supplies, and a trip to Wawa. We even used their car once on our own while they napped.
Mom and Dad aboard in Annapolis.
7. Shawn and Brian’s car in Annapolis – Shawn and Brian were the first to arrive for the Peoria Summer Party in Annapolis. We promptly commandeered their minivan so we could get food and alcohol for the party. I also made a quick stop at the West Marine and picked up a 55 pound Rocna anchor.
8. Raynell of NautiNell’s in Deltaville, VA – Margaret was shooting Raynell in her awesome marine consignment shop while I was out walking around the town, which is less town center and more a spread out series of marinas, houses, and a few stores. Nell offered to drive us back to our boat, which was about a mile away. In addition, she ended up very kindly taking us to the grocery store so that we could provision.
9. Deltaville Marina’s courtesy car – One day while we were in Deltaville, I dropped Margaret off at the Deltaville Marina, and she paid the ten dollar fee to use the facilities, namely the laundry and courtesy car (the fee was per person, hence why I stayed on the boat). She picked me up in the car at the state dock, and we drove around town seeing the sites and buying a few more items at the grocery store.
The Deltaville Marina courtesy car…it was not in great shape, but it certainly got the job done.
10. Margaret’s Enterprise rental car in Norfolk – Margaret rented a one-way car to head back to Branford at the end of her summer aboard Bear.
Margaret jumping ship.
11. My Enterprise rental car in Norfolk – We really confused the Enterprise people by getting two cars at the same time with mine just being a local rental. I used it to pick up my cousin Tim at the airport and then provision.
12. Bartender’s car in Oriental, NC – Tim and I borrowed a car from the bartender at the Oriental Marina and Inn’s Tiki Bar. We headed up a mile or so to the supermarket to provision.
13. Beaufort Docks’ courtesy car – Fueling in Beaufort, I asked the dockmaster where the post office was. Explaining it was over two miles away, he offered me the courtesy car. Tim and I also stopped at the optometrist so that Tim could get both of his pairs of glasses fixed.
14. Enterprise rental car in Wrightsville Beach, NC – I rented a car to take Tim to the airport and pick my Dad up the next day. I also managed to do some laundry, provision, and make a stop at Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, all in 24 hours.
15. Taxi in St. Simon’s, GA – My Dad really wanted blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. So, we took the dinghy into Morningstar Marina and got a taxi to take us to and from the village on St. Simon’s Island where he got his pancakes. We also got a chance to explore the area a bit, but it was definitely some of the most expensive pancakes ever at 20 bucks each way.
16. My folks’ car in St. Mary’s, GA – I do not know if I should count the same car twice in two different places, but I will. My Mom drove up from Florida to meet us in St. Mary’s. We ended up using the car to clean out the boat and haul all sorts of stuff from the boat to the hotel (a huge thank you to them for all their hard work!).
17. Alamo rental car in St. Mary’s, GA – On their way back home, my folks dropped me off at the airport in Jacksonville so I could pick up a rental car (a sweet new minivan with Sirius). I returned to the hotel, packed up everything we had pulled off the boat, and then headed north to pick up my own car again at Meridith and Bobby’s.
The rental van loaded up in St. Mary’s.
Obviously, people were incredibly generous to us throughout our trip (and there were countless other acts of kindness not related to automobiles!). We send out a huge thank you to all those folks. And, if you ever get the chance, please offer your vehicle to a cruiser; they probably need it and will be ever so appreciative!
I’ve got one more to add! Marc and Nina visited us in Annapolis at the end of PSP 14 with their newly minted twins. I borrowed their car to drive over to Annapolis Landing Marina to photograph a few women for my series on female mariners. While it took longer to drive from our mooring than to dingy, it was a relief to have a car that day, as I had encountered some engine problems the day before, and didn’t want to test my luck while the five of you were out sailing that morning.