What A Difference A Day Makes!

SHIP'S LOG:

Current Location: Bodkin Creek(Main Channel) 39'07.546N/ 076'27.451W (South of Baltimore)

Whereas yesterday was rainy and gray and pretty much a total bust, today was completely different. The day was warm but sunny and there was even some wind. You really couldn't ask for much more, could you?

It was "sail off the anchor", then sail out Harness Creek, they sail down the South River, then sail into the Chesapeake Bay (proper), and then sail into the wind and all the sailing stopped. Sigh! The wind in October had been pretty much on the nose on the way down the Bay, I would have thought that the opposite would be true this spring. It just isn't working out that way. Sigh!

I went passed Annapolis about 10:45. It was there, in Back Creek at the Port Annapolis Marina where I bought ABISHAG. There was a lot of low haze so it was difficult to make out the Naval Academy but I could just pick out a couple of buildings. I had no trouble, on the other hand, seeing all the tankers and cargo ships swinging at anchor south of the Annapolis bridge. It is amazing how many come from Panama! That country must have one of the biggest merchant marine fleets going, right up there with Liberia. Let's hear it for "flags of convenience!"

It was interesting( and heart-warming) to hear commercial captains "slamming " some of the crazy fishermen who were out today. In the low haze, the smaller fishing boats can be a bit hard to spot and, despite what you have heard, radar isn't close to being that good. Commercial captains, some of some rather large vessels, were calling to the "crazy fishermen" who were scooting around all over the place, crossing the shipping channel thither and yon, and not responding to any radio calls. It did get up the ire of the commercial captains and some gave vent to their feelings in some very colorful terms that rarely get heard on channel "16" as the Coast Guard disapproves.

To get into Bodkin Creek I had to cross Bodkin Shoal. When I did this back in the fall, I followed my carefully plotted course, not deviating the slightest bit from the Magenta Highway, which guaranteed that I would go aground. And that I did, a first soft kiss and then, after a lot of screaming, I got off. Today, it really was a piece of cake. I did lay in the course and followed it carefully, but I also kept my eyes out of the cockpit and on the water. This allowed me to notice that in some places on the way into Bodkin Creek, the locals have use "Reduce Speed " buoys as channel markers to enhance the official one and get you in through a rather shallow spot or two. I had no problems but I do hope that they get the channel dredged sometime soon.

I anchor in the same little cove I did when I was here in October. It is a nice little spot but you can tell that the boating season is already underway here in a big way. Lots and lots of traffic, even in this rather same creek. Then again, it will be commissioning day up at TYC this weekend, so summer can't be that far off.