SHIP'S LOG:
Another glorious day. In other words, NOAA got it wrong again! I am not sure where they are getting their info these days, but down here in Chesapeake Bay, they have really been "quite a bit shy of the mark!to say the least. Today was supposed to be 5-10knots out of the south west, shifting in the early afternoon to south. To be fair, they got the first part right, the morning breeze came out of the south west though a bit more than 10. It was closer to 15 but it made the run down Mobjack Bay electric. There seems to be a permanent chop of a foot or so in the Bay and it is exhilarating punching through it which ABISAHG does easily. The wind directions allowed sailing from the anchorage, a mile or so out into the Bay and then down the Bay into the Chesapeake. I made excellent time and good speed - 6+ knots - and was right on the course I had laid out this morning.
As it approached noon, I kept waiting for the wind to clock south which would allow a reach up the York River to Yorktown where my friends would be waiting. But alas and alack, it was not to be. It was as though someone had done a "cut & paste" of the weather for the last few days for the wind did clock around, not to the south but . . .wait for it . . . to the west! right on the nose for the trip up to Yorktown. As a result, it was two(2) hours of motoring to get up the river to the York River Yacht Haven. I hate motoring like that. Into the 15! knots of wind and the 2-3 foot chop it kicked up.
Up in the river, some sailing club was holding a race the likes of which I had never seen. They had a standard starting line but there must have been an unknown count down to the start. When the race started, the boast (there was only one class) were on both sides of the line and took off in the direction they were headed when the start was sounded. After say about five minutes, they all tack and headed for a buoy a couple of miles away that they were using as a windward mark. It was a real chaotic start and the weather leg was even more fun when a barge decided to invade the course. I would have liked to stick around to watch it but it really was difficult to follow and the course seems rather vague to say the least.
During the morning sail, toast Guard lost track of one of their helicopters. It is very disconcerting to hear the Coast Guard calling out on channel 16 basking if anyone had seen their helicopter. It turned out that it was safe, just a malfunctioning radio, but it was spotted by some boaters who dutifully called it in.
There was another call from a boat that was taking on water. Naturally the conversation between the captain and the Coast Guard monopolized channel 16 and rightfully so. I am happy to report that all are safe even though the captain was not able to "de-water his boat." Evidently that is a new Coast Guard tern for pumping the water out of your boat and keeping it out. It sounds really strange to hear it. Because of this emergency, which happened just as I was preparing to enter SARAH Creek where the York River Yacht Haven is, I was forced to use my cell phone to contact the dock master and get the help I needed to dock ABISHAG. I am still not very good at this but I am getting better. When they call this place a "YACHT haven" they are not just whistling "DIXIE!" At the dock, I had to look up at every other boat. All of them came with stairs to get on and off. It was humbling, but I was able to dock without incident . . . . sort of. I got the spring line ashore. And I went back to hand off the stern line and as I bent down to clete it, my cell phone and blue-tooth device slipped out of my pocket and into the drink! I was not happy and God and I had this long conversation about and the necessity of this particular loss overboard. In the end, I had to accept that it just was they ways thing went.
My friends, the Leclercs showed up moments after the dive by my phone. They had done some grocery shopping for me and after loading up ABISAHG, we took off in search of a Verizon Store. Finding one was easy but I was overwhelmed by the number of people in a phone store buy phone and such on a Sunday afternoon. It took a couple of hours to acquire a new phone I have a list of all my cell phone numbers on my computer, unfortunately, not this computer! So over the next few days, I will have to use email and the Internet to reconstitute my contact list. What a way to spend the afternoon. However, we were able to visit and share and all in all, it was a great day.
I am not sure where I will head tomorrow, perhaps the Black River, perhaps Hampton Rhodes (Roads?). I'll just have to wait and see how I am feeling tomorrow. At least I haven't gone overboard . . . . . . . . . .yet!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
As Capt. Nat Said," Gentlemen Never Go To Weather!":
SHIP'S LOG:
With apologies to Capt. Nat, sometimes going to weather is unavoidable, like today for example. I made a cardinal mistake in boating, trying to run to a schedule. After all, the most inefficient way to get anywhere is by boat and the most inefficient boat is a sailboat. But I wanted to be in Yorktown on Sunday night to meet with friends and so I figured that going to Mobjack Bay was doable and then Yorktown would be a snap.
I motored out of Anti-poison Creek and Little Bay and up went the sails and and off I went on a reach. Wonderful! Cleared Little Bay and hardened up to close hauled and was flying again. Outstanding!! It was a grand sail. There were 2-3 foot waves, with an occasional 4 footer that if hit right, put water on the deck. Otherwise, ABISHAG just went through them with little muss of fuss and little loss of speed. Weighing 11 tons, she develops a lot of kinetic energy and it takes quite a bit to slow here down. It started off chilly ( we had a frost warning last night !) but it warmed through the day and got up into the low 70's. It was almost like a June day back home.The angle of the sun produced some incredible glare off the water and it was a good things someone invented polarized lenses for sunglasses. There were a number of sailboats headed south along the same general route and while we were all cruisers, there was a little informal racing that took place for awhile.
At WOLF TRAP Light, those going south continued to sail while those of us headed into Mobjack Bay for the evening took the wind on the nose and it meant down with sails and on with the motor. The angle was such that you could not even motor sail into Mobjack By. It was motor or continue south and since my standard rule is anchor down by 4pm, it was motoring time. Several miles up the Bay on the north side is the East River. Up it a couple of miles is a wonderful stretch of quiet water and it was there I dropped my hook. Before I had finished with all of my anchoring procedures, two more boats showed up to join me in anchoring in this lovely spot. I spent about 20 minutes fixing the main which had jammed on its furler which it does from time to time and then made supper. The couples from the other two boats got together and proceeded to get in the bag. For four(4) people, they sure made one hell of a lot of noise. Trust me, nobody is that funny. When they finally bid each other adieu, they exchanged "Websites," all I have is a blog! I supposed that I could have gone over and crashed the social gathering, but alas, my dinghy is still in need of repair and "don't float." I am hoping that I can get a large enough vinyl patch to so the trick in Yorktown.
Someone asked how the fuel gauge is working. Evidently too well. It seems to accurate read the fuel amount, unfortunately it can do nothing to prevent the amount of fuel in the boat from decreasing!
From Yorktown to Hampton Roads, and the start of the ICW is a day, two if I really drag it. There is no reason to rush but there is also no reason to delay either. I will get there when I get there. Very philosophical!
With apologies to Capt. Nat, sometimes going to weather is unavoidable, like today for example. I made a cardinal mistake in boating, trying to run to a schedule. After all, the most inefficient way to get anywhere is by boat and the most inefficient boat is a sailboat. But I wanted to be in Yorktown on Sunday night to meet with friends and so I figured that going to Mobjack Bay was doable and then Yorktown would be a snap.
I motored out of Anti-poison Creek and Little Bay and up went the sails and and off I went on a reach. Wonderful! Cleared Little Bay and hardened up to close hauled and was flying again. Outstanding!! It was a grand sail. There were 2-3 foot waves, with an occasional 4 footer that if hit right, put water on the deck. Otherwise, ABISHAG just went through them with little muss of fuss and little loss of speed. Weighing 11 tons, she develops a lot of kinetic energy and it takes quite a bit to slow here down. It started off chilly ( we had a frost warning last night !) but it warmed through the day and got up into the low 70's. It was almost like a June day back home.The angle of the sun produced some incredible glare off the water and it was a good things someone invented polarized lenses for sunglasses. There were a number of sailboats headed south along the same general route and while we were all cruisers, there was a little informal racing that took place for awhile.
At WOLF TRAP Light, those going south continued to sail while those of us headed into Mobjack Bay for the evening took the wind on the nose and it meant down with sails and on with the motor. The angle was such that you could not even motor sail into Mobjack By. It was motor or continue south and since my standard rule is anchor down by 4pm, it was motoring time. Several miles up the Bay on the north side is the East River. Up it a couple of miles is a wonderful stretch of quiet water and it was there I dropped my hook. Before I had finished with all of my anchoring procedures, two more boats showed up to join me in anchoring in this lovely spot. I spent about 20 minutes fixing the main which had jammed on its furler which it does from time to time and then made supper. The couples from the other two boats got together and proceeded to get in the bag. For four(4) people, they sure made one hell of a lot of noise. Trust me, nobody is that funny. When they finally bid each other adieu, they exchanged "Websites," all I have is a blog! I supposed that I could have gone over and crashed the social gathering, but alas, my dinghy is still in need of repair and "don't float." I am hoping that I can get a large enough vinyl patch to so the trick in Yorktown.
Someone asked how the fuel gauge is working. Evidently too well. It seems to accurate read the fuel amount, unfortunately it can do nothing to prevent the amount of fuel in the boat from decreasing!
From Yorktown to Hampton Roads, and the start of the ICW is a day, two if I really drag it. There is no reason to rush but there is also no reason to delay either. I will get there when I get there. Very philosophical!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Onward Down The Chesapeake Bay!
SHIP'S LOG:
The first part of the day wasn't particularly pleasing. The promised 15-20 knots showed up but they came more from the NNW than from the North West. As a result, the wind was basically directly behind and throw in the 2-3 foot waves, with an occasional 3-4 footer, along with those occasional gusts of 25, and you can understand that the morning wasn't particularly pleasant. I am not sure if any boat handles seas directly astern particularly well, but ABISHAG doesn't particularly like it. Holding a course was a real pain. I could settle in for a while but the slightest drifting in attention and suddenly a wave would catch you and you were 2o or 30 or 40 degrees off course thanks to getting slapped with a wave on the rump. I would have top go through a whole bunch of yawing back and forth to get back on course and await the next lull in attention. Pitching and rolling and yawing, ABISHAG and I did it all this morning. I motor-sailed, mostly with just the main up. With out a pole for the Genny. the rolling and pitching would cause the Genny to collapse and occasionally snap open with a bang. Not good for the sail or my nerves.
The afternoon was a different story. Not that the wind change but the course did. Dead down wind became a reach as I head off toward Little Bay and Anti-poison Creek for the night. The motor off and with a partially furled main and slightly furled Genny, we screamed across the Bay toward the western shore. It was a fun ride but the chop kicked up by the wind was severe. I would really like to come back some day and sail the bay when it isn't such a mess. ABISHAG seems to handle this type of wind and seas rather well on this point of sail. She has a very comfortable motion.
When I was anchoring the boat for the night, I manage to drop my anchor weights over board as I was trying to attach them to the anchor rode. To say that I was a bit perturbed is to damn with faint praise. I do have an old anchor which I use as a lunch hook for the dinghy and so I used that in place of the anchor weights. It is less weight but it should work fine. I'll just let out extra rode if warranted. Heck, most people don't even used anchor weight but I use them all the time and feel "naked" without them. That makes two(2) book hooks and and two anchor weights lost over the side on this trip. Hope I have enough stuff to last til I get back. ( I had a very stiff drink after all was done to settle my nerves. Unfortunately, that was also the last of the rum!)
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I think what really irritates me about loosing the weights, and the boat hooks, is that it was totally unnecessary. I violated my own procedures and took a short cut and that cost me. I have been very carefully about following the procedures I have set up, but the times I have not I have learned a lesson. I also find that if I lay a course into the chartplotter, checking it as I do so, that I should always follow it when I am navigating. Things don't always look the same on the water as they do on the chart. True, they both eventually harmonize, but when you don't know a place, when you can't quite jive what you seed with what you think you should see, you've got to trust the work you have done before hand. Already, I have encountered missing buoys and marks and marks and buoys that aren't on the charts. Again coming into Little Bay I encountered two fish weirs not on the map and not marked in any way. It pays to be overly cautious or you will eventually pay.
The first part of the day wasn't particularly pleasing. The promised 15-20 knots showed up but they came more from the NNW than from the North West. As a result, the wind was basically directly behind and throw in the 2-3 foot waves, with an occasional 3-4 footer, along with those occasional gusts of 25, and you can understand that the morning wasn't particularly pleasant. I am not sure if any boat handles seas directly astern particularly well, but ABISHAG doesn't particularly like it. Holding a course was a real pain. I could settle in for a while but the slightest drifting in attention and suddenly a wave would catch you and you were 2o or 30 or 40 degrees off course thanks to getting slapped with a wave on the rump. I would have top go through a whole bunch of yawing back and forth to get back on course and await the next lull in attention. Pitching and rolling and yawing, ABISHAG and I did it all this morning. I motor-sailed, mostly with just the main up. With out a pole for the Genny. the rolling and pitching would cause the Genny to collapse and occasionally snap open with a bang. Not good for the sail or my nerves.
The afternoon was a different story. Not that the wind change but the course did. Dead down wind became a reach as I head off toward Little Bay and Anti-poison Creek for the night. The motor off and with a partially furled main and slightly furled Genny, we screamed across the Bay toward the western shore. It was a fun ride but the chop kicked up by the wind was severe. I would really like to come back some day and sail the bay when it isn't such a mess. ABISHAG seems to handle this type of wind and seas rather well on this point of sail. She has a very comfortable motion.
When I was anchoring the boat for the night, I manage to drop my anchor weights over board as I was trying to attach them to the anchor rode. To say that I was a bit perturbed is to damn with faint praise. I do have an old anchor which I use as a lunch hook for the dinghy and so I used that in place of the anchor weights. It is less weight but it should work fine. I'll just let out extra rode if warranted. Heck, most people don't even used anchor weight but I use them all the time and feel "naked" without them. That makes two(2) book hooks and and two anchor weights lost over the side on this trip. Hope I have enough stuff to last til I get back. ( I had a very stiff drink after all was done to settle my nerves. Unfortunately, that was also the last of the rum!)
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
I think what really irritates me about loosing the weights, and the boat hooks, is that it was totally unnecessary. I violated my own procedures and took a short cut and that cost me. I have been very carefully about following the procedures I have set up, but the times I have not I have learned a lesson. I also find that if I lay a course into the chartplotter, checking it as I do so, that I should always follow it when I am navigating. Things don't always look the same on the water as they do on the chart. True, they both eventually harmonize, but when you don't know a place, when you can't quite jive what you seed with what you think you should see, you've got to trust the work you have done before hand. Already, I have encountered missing buoys and marks and marks and buoys that aren't on the charts. Again coming into Little Bay I encountered two fish weirs not on the map and not marked in any way. It pays to be overly cautious or you will eventually pay.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
A Glorious Day! ! ! ! !
SHIP'S LOG:
Today was glorious though it didn't start out as such. I needed fuel( 35 gallons worth), a pump out and some ice blocks. I hit one marina that had the fuel and the pump out but no ice. i took on more fuel than I expected and had to pump out more than I expected. This particular marina has a pump out hose with a clear plastic section that allows you to view the "holdings" of your holding tank. A great way to start the day! Actually, most marinas will not pump fuel or anything else because of insurance concerns. The most they will do is hand you the hose and get out of the way, but it seems to work out OK . . . .so long as you don't "have a spill." Then the EPA and all those other agencies get involved and the fines get ridiculous.
I tried to get ice at three other marinas. As I approached the first two, boats slipped in ahead of me. It was really frustrating but the third one, which was literally "up the creek" and looked sort of run down had no one at the dock so I swooped in, got my ice and beat a hasty retreat.
I motored out into the Patuxent River, raised a reefed Main and Genny and took off down the river to the Bay. I hung a right at the mouth and made it all the way to the Potomac on a single tack. I was accompanied by the boys and girls from the Navy flight training school at the Patuxent Naval Air Station who today were doing "Touch and Go". This maneuver is training for aircraft carrier landings. When you land, you slam the throttles forward so that you have enough power to take off again should your "hook" miss the arresting wires. It is amazing how much noise can come out of one of those little planes and there were whole squadrons of them doing it all day. My course also took me by the Naval Targets in the bay and while no one was dropping bombs or firing missiles, there were lots of planes doing low-level attack approaches to the targets in the water. While I am sure they missed by miles, the noise rattled the filings in my teeth.
The sail was glorious.The winds were between 10 and 15, with gusts to 25, which churned up 3-4 waves in the shallow bay. It was warm and the sun was shining, I could not have asked for a better day. IT was one hand sailing all the way. I seriously would have used the wind-vane steering, but it has been too long since I actually sail ABISHAG. The only sour note was the trip up the Potomac River. Turning up the river, the wind was on the nose and so were the waves. I had hoped to get up to St. Mary River but settled for Jutland Creek instead. If all things go as are hoped for, I will be in "Anti-poison Creek" in "Little Bay" in Virginia tomorrow.
Today was glorious though it didn't start out as such. I needed fuel( 35 gallons worth), a pump out and some ice blocks. I hit one marina that had the fuel and the pump out but no ice. i took on more fuel than I expected and had to pump out more than I expected. This particular marina has a pump out hose with a clear plastic section that allows you to view the "holdings" of your holding tank. A great way to start the day! Actually, most marinas will not pump fuel or anything else because of insurance concerns. The most they will do is hand you the hose and get out of the way, but it seems to work out OK . . . .so long as you don't "have a spill." Then the EPA and all those other agencies get involved and the fines get ridiculous.
I tried to get ice at three other marinas. As I approached the first two, boats slipped in ahead of me. It was really frustrating but the third one, which was literally "up the creek" and looked sort of run down had no one at the dock so I swooped in, got my ice and beat a hasty retreat.
I motored out into the Patuxent River, raised a reefed Main and Genny and took off down the river to the Bay. I hung a right at the mouth and made it all the way to the Potomac on a single tack. I was accompanied by the boys and girls from the Navy flight training school at the Patuxent Naval Air Station who today were doing "Touch and Go". This maneuver is training for aircraft carrier landings. When you land, you slam the throttles forward so that you have enough power to take off again should your "hook" miss the arresting wires. It is amazing how much noise can come out of one of those little planes and there were whole squadrons of them doing it all day. My course also took me by the Naval Targets in the bay and while no one was dropping bombs or firing missiles, there were lots of planes doing low-level attack approaches to the targets in the water. While I am sure they missed by miles, the noise rattled the filings in my teeth.
The sail was glorious.The winds were between 10 and 15, with gusts to 25, which churned up 3-4 waves in the shallow bay. It was warm and the sun was shining, I could not have asked for a better day. IT was one hand sailing all the way. I seriously would have used the wind-vane steering, but it has been too long since I actually sail ABISHAG. The only sour note was the trip up the Potomac River. Turning up the river, the wind was on the nose and so were the waves. I had hoped to get up to St. Mary River but settled for Jutland Creek instead. If all things go as are hoped for, I will be in "Anti-poison Creek" in "Little Bay" in Virginia tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Sone
SHIP'S LOG:
It started raining about 3am and has kept up all day. It was cold and grey and clammy and a good day to stay in bed curled up with a good book . . . . which was exactly what I did. I also rearranged a few things, discovered a few more leaks to plug and generally was indolent and lazy. I deserved it.
Tomorrow, weather permitting, it is off to the Potomac River and possibly ol' Virginny!
It started raining about 3am and has kept up all day. It was cold and grey and clammy and a good day to stay in bed curled up with a good book . . . . which was exactly what I did. I also rearranged a few things, discovered a few more leaks to plug and generally was indolent and lazy. I deserved it.
Tomorrow, weather permitting, it is off to the Potomac River and possibly ol' Virginny!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Herring Bay - A Learning Experience
SHIP'S LOG:
After I dropped the anchor in Herring Bay and had supper, it seemed the end of a very fine day. Two other sailboats were anchor near by, not close but near by, and we were a cosy- wave-at-a-distance community of sailors. I did all my normal checks and went to bed and slept the sleep of the just . . . . until about 1:30AM when "the wind shes astarted to blow!" I don't think the gusts got to be more than 30 knots but it was the fact that NOAA had forgotten to mention the possibility that was most irksome. Herring Bay is on the western shore of the Bay and the wind was coming out of East/Northeast with nothing to impede its progress. I was in 15 feet of water with 110 feet of rope rhode, 12 feet of chain, a 35lbs CQR Plow anchor, and 30 lbs of additional anchor weights on the rode. The boat wasn't going anywhere, not in that amount of wind, but that didn't stop me from worrying about it. I got up twice to check and left the GPS on all night. The GPS plotted the movement of the boat and gave the depth of the water under the keel. ABISHAG didn't move out of a fifty foot circle and never seriously approached single digit depths. Of course, at night everything seems magnified, all the noises, all the movements, and when you are rocking up and down, sometimes not too gently, it can work on your mind. I know that I must have gotten some sleep but it sure didn't seem like it. I kept waiting for the anchor to pull out, the rode to part or something else to go wrong . . . . but nothing did. I had set everything up well, as I do every night, for just such an unexpected event. Through truth be told, I did ask God several times to get me through the night!
The morning didn't look to hot and the weather was iffy to say the best, but since I had the course already laid in, I took off for Patuxent River and the Solomon Islands. It was a trip of about 31 miles, the longest trip alone on this particular journey. The wind was out of the east but light so I motor-sailed and made really great time. Along the way I was passed by the US Navy Hospital Ship COMFORT. It has the nicest captain I have yet heard. When he contacted a ship in front of him and asked him to maneuver, he would take the time to explain why he want the other ship to move and seemed to suggest the what was to their best advantage. A far cry from" I am passing you to starboard!" with no ifs, ands or buts.
Anchoring in the Solomon Islands, an area just inside the mouth of the Patuxent River, is really something. all the homes are magnificent. If they aren't receive mansions, they are old homesteads with the look and panache of ages. When I dropped my hook out in front of this one house and set about making the boat ready for the night. The owner came out with a friend and I could hear them and see them talking and pointing to my boat. I kind of felt for them. If I lived there, having me park my boat "in their front yard" would irritate me some too.
So far, there hasn't been a lot of sailing on this trip, but tomorrow, weather permitting , will be a sailing day. I will head out of the Patuxent and turn right and either anchor somewhere in St. Mary River, at the mouth of the Potomac or continue south and anchor somewhere in the Great Wicomico River. I wonder what's so great about it?
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Strangely, even though I haven't really gone all that far since losing Bob & Fred, it seems almost as though I am really pushing it. Today was the farthest trip yet and it was only 31 miles! I don't know why I feel it but it seems like I am rushing and pushing. True, I do want to get back to wearing shorts and tee-shirts, but it is more the attitude. I want to get somewhere. Where I am not quite sure but somewhere. I am really struggling to enjoy each day where I am. It is getting a little easier, but I am still looking too much ahead instead of living in the moment. After all, what's the rush?
After I dropped the anchor in Herring Bay and had supper, it seemed the end of a very fine day. Two other sailboats were anchor near by, not close but near by, and we were a cosy- wave-at-a-distance community of sailors. I did all my normal checks and went to bed and slept the sleep of the just . . . . until about 1:30AM when "the wind shes astarted to blow!" I don't think the gusts got to be more than 30 knots but it was the fact that NOAA had forgotten to mention the possibility that was most irksome. Herring Bay is on the western shore of the Bay and the wind was coming out of East/Northeast with nothing to impede its progress. I was in 15 feet of water with 110 feet of rope rhode, 12 feet of chain, a 35lbs CQR Plow anchor, and 30 lbs of additional anchor weights on the rode. The boat wasn't going anywhere, not in that amount of wind, but that didn't stop me from worrying about it. I got up twice to check and left the GPS on all night. The GPS plotted the movement of the boat and gave the depth of the water under the keel. ABISHAG didn't move out of a fifty foot circle and never seriously approached single digit depths. Of course, at night everything seems magnified, all the noises, all the movements, and when you are rocking up and down, sometimes not too gently, it can work on your mind. I know that I must have gotten some sleep but it sure didn't seem like it. I kept waiting for the anchor to pull out, the rode to part or something else to go wrong . . . . but nothing did. I had set everything up well, as I do every night, for just such an unexpected event. Through truth be told, I did ask God several times to get me through the night!
The morning didn't look to hot and the weather was iffy to say the best, but since I had the course already laid in, I took off for Patuxent River and the Solomon Islands. It was a trip of about 31 miles, the longest trip alone on this particular journey. The wind was out of the east but light so I motor-sailed and made really great time. Along the way I was passed by the US Navy Hospital Ship COMFORT. It has the nicest captain I have yet heard. When he contacted a ship in front of him and asked him to maneuver, he would take the time to explain why he want the other ship to move and seemed to suggest the what was to their best advantage. A far cry from" I am passing you to starboard!" with no ifs, ands or buts.
Anchoring in the Solomon Islands, an area just inside the mouth of the Patuxent River, is really something. all the homes are magnificent. If they aren't receive mansions, they are old homesteads with the look and panache of ages. When I dropped my hook out in front of this one house and set about making the boat ready for the night. The owner came out with a friend and I could hear them and see them talking and pointing to my boat. I kind of felt for them. If I lived there, having me park my boat "in their front yard" would irritate me some too.
So far, there hasn't been a lot of sailing on this trip, but tomorrow, weather permitting , will be a sailing day. I will head out of the Patuxent and turn right and either anchor somewhere in St. Mary River, at the mouth of the Potomac or continue south and anchor somewhere in the Great Wicomico River. I wonder what's so great about it?
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
Strangely, even though I haven't really gone all that far since losing Bob & Fred, it seems almost as though I am really pushing it. Today was the farthest trip yet and it was only 31 miles! I don't know why I feel it but it seems like I am rushing and pushing. True, I do want to get back to wearing shorts and tee-shirts, but it is more the attitude. I want to get somewhere. Where I am not quite sure but somewhere. I am really struggling to enjoy each day where I am. It is getting a little easier, but I am still looking too much ahead instead of living in the moment. After all, what's the rush?
Monday, October 18, 2010
It Wasn't the Chesapeake Bay Bridge!
SHIP'S LOG:
A couple of days ago, as I was heading toward Bodkin Creek, off in the distance I saw this large bridge that stretched across the Bay and naturally I assumed that it was the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. I learned absolutely for sure that it wasn't. The bridge in question is just south of the Magothy River and is, in fact, the William Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridges. Passing under them was impressive none the less.
On the Magothy River, I was surprised to fine that they removed the speed limit buoys they put up everywhere evidently on weekends when traffic is heavy. I know of lots of places where they put them up but I have never heard of anyplace that removes them after the weekend is over.
No wind from beginning to end. NOAA lied again. The 5-10 knots from the NE never showed. In fact, the Bay was like glass and I had to motor the whole way to Herring Bay. Lots of crabpot buoys in this stretch. What makes it even crazier is that some of the local water fowl are the same shape and seize as the most commonly used buoys and sometimes you'll come upon a field of them and they all fly away and other times they don't. One never knows until one is almost right upon them. So far I have been lucky and have not snagged a pot, and so I have kept out of the water.
Heading into Herring Bay, I found two(2) fish weirs, several poles with nets strung between them to catch, well, herring, of course. They are not marked on the any chart and naturally they were right across the course I had so carefully plotted. Not really a problem, just an annoying course adjustment.
The weather was also cool and hazy. To the west you could see that it wanted to rain but so far no rain has fallen. I actually had to wear a jacket and gloves for most of the day. It must have been the coolness of the water and the wind created by the movement of the boat, but it was chilly and damp.
Passed between a coupe of tankers moored off Annapolis. Who names these things? One was not too bad "CLS ATLAS," but"CENTURY SEYMOUR"?
The weather tomorrow calls for a 50% chance of rain. I am hoping that NOAA is as accurate with tomorrow's weather as it has been over the last few days!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It is a strange sensation, a bit unsettling, a bit uneasy, not knowing the places I am going to. Each morning I have no idea where I will be spending the night. True, there is a name on a chart but even if I get there it is still unknown. I plot a position on the GPS to drop the anchor and when I get there it is like nothing I imagine it would be . . .except that it is in the water. There is nothing known, nothing familiar. It feels a bit weird, exciting, strange all at the same time.
A couple of days ago, as I was heading toward Bodkin Creek, off in the distance I saw this large bridge that stretched across the Bay and naturally I assumed that it was the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. I learned absolutely for sure that it wasn't. The bridge in question is just south of the Magothy River and is, in fact, the William Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridges. Passing under them was impressive none the less.
On the Magothy River, I was surprised to fine that they removed the speed limit buoys they put up everywhere evidently on weekends when traffic is heavy. I know of lots of places where they put them up but I have never heard of anyplace that removes them after the weekend is over.
No wind from beginning to end. NOAA lied again. The 5-10 knots from the NE never showed. In fact, the Bay was like glass and I had to motor the whole way to Herring Bay. Lots of crabpot buoys in this stretch. What makes it even crazier is that some of the local water fowl are the same shape and seize as the most commonly used buoys and sometimes you'll come upon a field of them and they all fly away and other times they don't. One never knows until one is almost right upon them. So far I have been lucky and have not snagged a pot, and so I have kept out of the water.
Heading into Herring Bay, I found two(2) fish weirs, several poles with nets strung between them to catch, well, herring, of course. They are not marked on the any chart and naturally they were right across the course I had so carefully plotted. Not really a problem, just an annoying course adjustment.
The weather was also cool and hazy. To the west you could see that it wanted to rain but so far no rain has fallen. I actually had to wear a jacket and gloves for most of the day. It must have been the coolness of the water and the wind created by the movement of the boat, but it was chilly and damp.
Passed between a coupe of tankers moored off Annapolis. Who names these things? One was not too bad "CLS ATLAS," but"CENTURY SEYMOUR"?
The weather tomorrow calls for a 50% chance of rain. I am hoping that NOAA is as accurate with tomorrow's weather as it has been over the last few days!
MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:
It is a strange sensation, a bit unsettling, a bit uneasy, not knowing the places I am going to. Each morning I have no idea where I will be spending the night. True, there is a name on a chart but even if I get there it is still unknown. I plot a position on the GPS to drop the anchor and when I get there it is like nothing I imagine it would be . . .except that it is in the water. There is nothing known, nothing familiar. It feels a bit weird, exciting, strange all at the same time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
