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| still ripples from the high winds |
We were going to pull up our anchors at 8 am until David called and said Weather NOAA is still calling for small craft warnings until 10 am. Chuck and I trust Windfinder and they weren't showing the warning at all. So we mutually agreed to leave at 9:00. It's going to take us probably an hour to get out to the bay by the time we cruise down Cockrell Creek into Ingram Bay and then out into the Chesapeake. Our major concern today is our passage across the mouth of the Potomac River. We've been warned by boaters that whenever there is a strong northerly wind, the waters along this 10 mile stretch could get 10 foot waves. We have NW winds, gusting up to 15, but the afternoon is suppose to calm down. So, we decided to take a chance anyway. We got into 5 and 6 footers. Hey, we thought we were on Lake Erie! In the beginning we were able to keep our head sail full which helped pull us through the waves. Then the winds shifted and we had to furl our sail and just push on, knowing that we'd be out of our misery in 2 hours. LOL. At one point, I think all four of us thought maybe we had made the wrong call about moving today. Water was crashing over the bow of our boat. At one point Chuck saw water gush in through one of our hatches. No way! At least we're better off than Whisper because they only have a dodger for protection. David found out later, that they had water flowing in through the v-berth hatch...above his bed!! As soon as we got behind the point of land on the north shore of the mouth of the Potomac, the water flattened and the sun decided to shine down on us! What a super cruise from there until we reached our anchorage at Soloman Islands.
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| check this dinghy out for the fishing trawler |
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| Point No Point Light |
Rita and David missed the entire Chesapeake on their way south. Keith their buddy boat, sv/Rising Sun, took them outside from Cape May to Norfolk. So, I think they are enjoying the stops we've made...so far. As we approached the Patuxent River, we started to see aircraft activity. There is a naval airbase on the south side of the river. We were buzzed by a jet, a cargo plane practicing landing and takeoff, helicopters, and a heli-plane. What a busy place. I forgot to tell David and Rita that it might be a little noisy at this anchorage until dark! Hopefully they don't mind. They really enjoyed seeing all the sailboats docked in the marinas along Soloman's Back Creek on our journey to our anchorage.
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two cute Lord Nelson Tugs
Thistle & Victory |
Once we found our perfect anchorage way up the river beside the Holiday Inn, we all took a few minutes to relax and enjoy the tranquil setting. I had told Rita about this little pizza and sub shop close by that made mouth-watering pizza....called Jerry's. They were game to get off their boat for awhile but wanted us to pick them up. Their dinghy is on their deck and not quite so easy to lower. We picked them up and water taxied over to the Holiday's dinghy dock. They charge $2 to tie up there but we lucked out because no one was policing the dock. Oh well, they got some of money last fall! After a short walk out to the little plaza, we were ordering pizza and salads. The pizza was even better than Chuck and I remembered. Rita and David were amazed with their food for such a little pizza shop. This pizza has been one of the best that we've eaten on our trip!!
Back to our boats to turn our anchor light on and prep for tomorrows early start. Heading to Annapolis, trying to beat the rain.....
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