Chesapeake Bay – Maryland side, and the Delaware Bay

(We haven't seen Canadian geese in a while)

So the plan was to head out on Friday, June 3^rd to a couple places on the eastern side of the Chesapeake. That plan soon changed as we entered the bay and a 10-15 knot north wind was funneling down. The bay narrows, but was wide enough that we figured we could do a couple tacks and slowly work our way north. Well by the time we had crossed the bay and did our first tack, we were no further ahead, as a strong current was also pushing us south. We tried to motor directly into the wind and waves, and when we weren’t making any more than a knot, we decided then and there to call it a day. We had a nice sail back to Solomons, so it wasn’t a wasted day. We decided to wait for winds in any direction but the north. Our wait lasted 2 more nights in Solomon’s. We spent the days lazing around and reading, though we did exchange our broken binoculars and buy a few things for the boat. We also visited an old oyster processing area turned museum and got our exercise with a walk to downtown.

Sunday the winds were forecasted to be from the east. We left and had a great sail up past the Choptank River. The wind eventually died on us, so we had to motor but it was a very pleasant day. After a long 52 mile day, we reached our anchorage off the South River. Since we were delayed in Solomon’s we decided to bypass the eastern shore and head instead for Annapolis. We had a great time in Annapolis on the way down, so were really looking forward to another visit. The next morning we motored the 11 miles to Spa Creek and picked up a mooring ball. The first orders of business were showers and laundry. Our last laundry was done in South Carolina, and lets just say I was down to my last pair of underwear. Once that chore was complete, we were free to enjoy the town. We checked out some of the marine stores, visited the Naval Academy museum, walked to the mall and watched the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie, bought a couple magazines and books and of course had an ice cream and enjoyed a happy hour.

(Our new cups)

Two days in Annapolis and we were ready to move again. Home has been on our mind lately.

The next two days were spent on the move. Those two days had record temperatures in the high 90’s, and humidex in the 100s! Usually being on the water is cooler, but not those two days, as there was barely a breath of wind. We moved around in the cockpit to try to stay in the shade, but at about 4 o’clock until 7, the sun shines at such an angle that the bimini offers no protection. Sal and I went though almost 2 gallons of water between the two of us to stay hydrated. Thankful for our two fans, we were able to tolerate the evening. I kept looking at the water wanting to take the plunge, but after seeing numerous fish belly up floating by and the brown and debris filled water, I just couldn’t do it. A few more degrees and I think I would have risked it.

(Naval Museum in Annapolis, MD)

With all the heat, we knew it was only a matter of time before a thunderstorm. It had been brewing and after the second scorcher of a day, it let loose. We had been hoping for rain in the evening, so we could wash and cool off, but the storm rolled by to the north of where we were anchored. A few hours later the sky lit up in lightning, as it released all it’s built up energy. The show lasted for over an hour, and it was more spectacular than any fireworks show I’ve seen. Thankfully all the lightning seemed to be quite far away.

Friday June 10^th, we did the Delaware Bay. Another windless day, but we had much more comfortable temperatures. I even put a sweater on in the morning, as I wasn’t accustomed to temperatures below 80. As we entered the Cape May canal the wind picked up quite suddenly and we had about 10-15 knots on the nose. After hardly seeing a boat all day, we were bombarded with powerboats racing around. We decided to head down the New Jersey ICW as the anchorage along the Canal looked like it would be a little uncomfortable. Just as we were about to turn and head to the bridge, 2 powerboats crossed each other at high speed, sending a large and confused wake in our direction. I did my best to head into it.. The bow went under the crest of the wave and splashed water onto the boat. Now this would not have been a big deal, except of course we had left the front hatch open. It was calm earlier and it allowed a nice breeze to cool the boat. So a wave of salt water splashed into our boat, soaking much of what we stored in the v-birth. It wasn’t a pleasant way to end a long day, and from that second we had a bad feeling about New Jersey.

(Naval Museum)

After looking at the weather forecast for the next couple days, we decided to take the inside route. A cold front was coming through the area and the wind would be almost on the nose. We are able to take the inside because our mast is less than 35’ and our draft is less than 4 feet. Our only concern is the volume of traffic on the water because it’s the weekend. We miss the Chesapeake, where sailboats outnumber powerboats compared to here, and seeing a mast is a rarity. Our saving grace is that the weather is supposed to be overcast and rainy, so hopefully that will deter some of the weekend traffic.