Thursday afternoon, as we were returning with our pizza
dinner, we saw a sailboat enter the harbor basin and anchor in the same area
where we spent the night setting and re-setting our anchor. Shortly after that, they took their dinghy to
the dinghy dock which is next to where Kite is tied up. We went over to warn them about the poor
holding. They were traveling back to
their home in Westerly, Rhode Island and thought they would be OK for the night
because they had a 75-pound anchor (ours is 35 pounds) and the forecast was for
light winds, which we were already experiencing. When we got up Friday morning the wind was
calm and the water like glass. The
couple from Westerly was already gone, so we guessed they had a comfortable
night and then continued on their way.
We stayed in Crisfield on Friday to collect our mail that we
had asked to be sent to General Delivery at the local Post Office. A Food Lion supermarket was within walking
distance of the Post Office, so we took advantage of the opportunity to get
some fresh produce and restock a few food items like milk and eggs. After that there was really nothing more to
do in Crisfield, since everything was closed for the season until mid-May, so
we decided to leave Saturday morning and cross to the western side of the Bay
to Solomons Island, MD near the mouth of the Patuxent River.
Although we got up at sunrise, we took a leisurely
breakfast, and planned to be off the dock by 08:00. The water was glassy smooth and there was not
a breath of wind in the harbor. We
departed at 07:50 actually, and the wind was calm as we motored out of the
harbor and into the Bay. This was a
totally different Chesapeake Bay from the one we had experienced so far –
mirror-like water with small, lazy waves.
It stayed like that for the entire day, so we had no choice but to keep
the engine on and were never even tempted to break out a sail. There simply was no wind and consequently
there were no waves, so we made good time getting across.
What a difference from the eastern shore. Of course, today is Saturday and it was a
beautiful, calm day. As we approached
the Patuxent River, there were hundreds of pleasure boats, mostly out fishing,
but even a few sailboats trying to coax some movement from the very light
winds. The banks of Back Creek, one of
two main creeks in Solomons, are literally lined with boats. Solomons has the reputation as a boater’s
paradise, and there are several anchorages and about 10 marinas there to choose
from. One marina even has some moorings
and Lyn phoned them Friday afternoon to reserve a mooring for Saturday
night. They don’t take reservations for
moorings, and they said the daily rate is $30 including use of their dinghy
dock and bathroom/shower facilities.
What a difference from Crisfield, where we tied up in a slip with use of
bathroom/shower facilities for only $35.
So we decided to use our anchor instead of a mooring.
 |
| Boats line the banks of Back Creek |
While setting the anchor we tried backing down on it with
the engine in reverse, to test the holding power of the bottom, and we fear it
is clay like Crisfield’s harbor. The
anchor slipped a lot before it finally grabbed and held. The wind forecast is for continued light
winds Sunday, and strengthening on Monday, so we’ve planned to take one of
those pricey moorings on Monday, and make use of the showers and marina
facilities before leaving on Tuesday morning.
While we are here we plan to visit the Calvert Marine Museum and the
Drum Point Lighthouse and maybe take a ride on a Bugeye. Built in the 1890s, a
Bugeye is a sailing oyster dragger adapted especially for the Chesapeake
Bay. Not yet sure where we’ll go on
Tuesday, but we have two days to figure it out.
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