Day 73 – N 37° 32.955’ W 76° 19.892’ Deltaville, VA

8.1 knots under sail!

The sail from Urbanna to Deltaville was exciting!  We motored out the short channel from Urbanna harbor at a little after 08:00, and immediately put up the sails and shut down the engine.  The wind was perfect for a rapid transit down the Rappahannock river: southwest at 15 to 20 knots.  During some of the gusts our boat speed was better than 8.5 knots.  (I think we were favored by an ebbing current, too.)  By 10:30 Kite was at the mouth of the Rappahannock and turning south to the mouth of the Piankatank river.   We were able to tighten her sails enough to just make the southerly course we wanted to the entrance buoy for the river.  And then we tacked to the west to enter the Piankatank river.  We were not quite able to hold the course to keep in the river channel, but we were enjoying sailing so much we decided to tack up the river for the few miles to the entrance to Jackson Creek, in which we planned to anchor.  We actually did it in only 2 tacks and by 11:30 we had to furl the sails and start the engine to enter the narrow channel at the mouth of Jackson Creek.  We were anchored before noon, and enjoyed our lunch in a peaceful, well protected anchorage.

 

An osprey stakes a claim on a neglected boat

We should mention that our short stay in Urbanna was quite pleasant.  The anchorage was peaceful and almost crowded with nesting ospreys in various stages of either building the nests or feeding the chicks.  It was fun to watch them.  We also went into the town and walked around.  We had read in the guidebook that the drug store had an old fashion lunch counter and soda fountain.  It was straight out of the fifties, and we enjoyed some large vanilla milkshakes before heading to the small supermarket for a few groceries, including fresh strawberries from North Carolina. M-m-m.

In Deltaville, we are giving priority to finding a supply of propane.  Last night while lighting the stove for our evening “cuppa” tea, we noticed that the top of the flame was yellow, not the usual blue.  This is a sign that our tank is nearly empty.  Fortunately, we still had enough for coffee this morning, but when Peter disconnected the hose and shook the tank after we arrived in Deltaville, he heard and felt no liquid, so we were burning only the remaining fumes.  Lyn called around and eventually located Revere Gas, a mere 7 miles from the marina we are anchored near.  So tomorrow we plan to beg a ride from the marina, or failing that, ride our bicycles with the tank in a backpack on Peter’s back to get it refilled.  And we now know that a 10-liter tank of propane will last 7 weeks when used daily for all our cooking.

As it turned out, the marina kindly loaned us a car to go get the propane.  Although we usually enjoy a bike ride, it was another very hot day, so the loaner car was a welcome solution, and now we have propane again.  The marina also had a lovely herb garden with a sign saying we could help ourselves.  Lyn collected quite a bit of basil and fresh mint to use in a salad (and a Mojito!).

Day 71 – N 37° 39.042 W 76° 26.055 Yopps Cove, VA

Monday morning, Memorial Day, we set out exploring Yopps Cove and the adjacent creeks.  This was the first extended trial of our new propane powered outboard.  We were using one of those small propane canisters normally used for grills and since we had previously used it for our grill, we were unsure of the amount remaining. We brought an additional canister along just in case.  The first canister lasted 45 minutes and it was no problem to switch to the second canister which lasted for the remainder of our exploration (another hour), and still seems to have a little left.

Exploring by dinghy with Lehr propane-powered motor

Someone has to live this life, right?

The anchorage and surrounding creeks were dotted with expensive houses, well-kept and nicely landscaped, accessorized with a dock and nice boat.  What a life! On Carter Creek we passed the well known Tides Inn and resort marina.  It has a hotel as well as marina slips and provides patrons with complimentary use of the pool, kayaks, paddle boards and pedal boats.  We saw several people out making use of these.

We returned to the boat and were relaxing and enjoying the quiet setting when along came a small barge-like boat with what appeared to be a huge pile of gravel on board.  The boat stopped not far off our stern and then crew members opened doors in the vessel sides and began pumping strong jets of water at the pile which started spilling out the open doors.  It was then that we realized it was oyster shells from a nearby oyster processing plant!  We were surprised that they would dump in such a shallow body of water (mostly 9 ft.), and a residential area as well.  It was a very short distance to go dump the shells in the wide and deep Rappahannock River.  It took about 20 minutes for the whole big pile to be washed off the boat as it slowly turned in circles, presumably to spread the pile out and not create a mound for boaters to hit.  I also wondered if there wasn’t some cost-effective market for the oyster shells, but apparently this business didn’t find one. We couldn't upload our video clip, but here is a small photo excerpt from the video to give you the idea.

The afternoon was quite warm (high of 80°F), and the water was fairly clear, so Peter decided to again scrub the bottom of the boat which had already grown quite a bit of slime in the month since he had last cleaned it.  The water, however, was only about 70°F, so he wore his wet suit. During the process, he found that both of our zincs needed replacement. For those who of you who are not boaters, a little explanation.  The propeller shaft on boats in salt water tends to get pitted and corroded from electrolysis.  So boaters attach about a one pound piece of zinc to the prop.  Often referred to as a “sacrificial zinc”, it corrodes before the shaft, and if you replace it when it gets pitted and soft, your boat’s shaft will be preserved.  The same diver who usually cleans our boat also takes care of this task for us, but Peter thought he could manage it using his SCUBA gear to stay down long enough.  The task involves using 3 screws on each zinc and 2 different size allyn wrenches, but we had spares of everything in case something was dropped, so we got out the SCUBA tank, etc.  Excellent success! Peter didn’t drop a thing and it didn’t take very long either.  However, our boating friends reading this can tell diver Paul not to worry about getting his job back when we return!

The night promises to be very peaceful and comfortable in this anchorage – excellent weather for sleeping on the boat.

Day 70 – N 37° 39.042’ W 76° 26.055 Yopp’s Cove, VA

We finally got our opportunity to cross the Bay from Crisfield, MD to the Rappahannock River today, after 9 days in Crisfield.  Memorial Day weekend was ruined for Somers Cove Marina by the same terrible weather that kept us here so long.  Friday and Saturday featured northwest winds of 25 knots, frequently gusting to over 35 knots for the entire time, day and night.  To top it all off, it also rained all day on Friday and the temperatures were in the 40s and 50s.  A large yacht club group had planned to travel to Crisfield from the Potomac River on Friday for the weekend, but under the cold, gale conditions decided to cancel their trip.  Only 3 sailboats arrived here during the weekend, and 3 powerboats.  They have space for over one hundred.

When we walked back from a trip to the ATM at around 09:30 Saturday morning, we passed by the marina office building and noticed a group of people gathering.  As we walked by them, one of the ladies asked us if we wanted to join them for breakfast.  She explained that they were the local yacht club and had planned to host a breakfast with the visiting yacht club that never showed up, so they had plenty of food.  We had already eaten, but it seemed about the right time for 2^nd breakfast, so we joined them.  The food was homemade and delicious, the mimosas were refreshing, and we enjoyed a nice social morning getting to know a few of the members and some of the activities of the Somers Cove Yacht Club.  The sailors among them said that they cruise often to Florida – Vero Beach to the Keys, and some occasionally crossed to the Bahamas.  Several of the members offered to drive us up to the grocery store if we needed anything.  Although we were delayed by weather a very long time in Crisfield, we found the people there to be very friendly, welcoming and helpful. 

Rough seas crossing the Bay

Last night’s weather forecast for today called for northwest winds 15 to 20 knots, diminishing to 10 to 15 knots and becoming westerly in the afternoon.  Our destination is southwest of Crisfield, so we decided that this was marginally OK, and we were anxious to finally resume our exploration of the Bay.  We were up with the sun at around 06:00, checked the forecast one more time, no change, so we left the dock at about 06:50.  We motored about half way out the channel and had an opportunity to raise the sail right then, and we started sailing in brisk winds.  The wind was exactly as forecast, maybe a little more towards 20 knots than 15, but we were going with it for the first 15 miles, so it just made us go faster.  We had reefed both sails to about 80% of their normal size, and that was just about right.  When we got to Tangier Light (the 15 mile point) we had to turn more westerly for the 18 mile trek across the Bay and we were sailing at about 50° off the wind.  That is about as high as we can point upwind.  It slowed us down a bit and was rougher, but we were still making good time.  Our strategy in leaving early was to take advantage of the wind for as long as possible until it became westerly, when we would have to start motoring. 

Calm waters in Yopp's Cove

As it turned out, we got almost all the way across the bay, when the wind died down completely, so we had to start motoring, and then it picked up again but from the west.  By that time we were in the mouth of the Rappahannock River, and we had only 11 miles left to our destination.  The current was favorable as we motored up the river, but the wind was blowing 15 knots against us and that combination makes for a rough ride into choppy water.

When we arrived at Yopp’s Cove, our anchorage destination, it was just the opposite.   It is so well sheltered that the water is nearly smooth, and the nearby trees break up the wind so it is not as strong.  Our stay here should be pleasant – calm waters and little wind to deal with.  Tomorrow, we plan to explore the area by dinghy.  And Lyn wanted to wish everybody a wonderful Memorial Day.

Day 68 - N37 58.650' W75 51.402' Still Crisfield, MD

We won’t be leaving Crisfield on Friday…. and not on Saturday either.  The forecast for milder weather keeps moving out a day or two as a front moves through.  We have added more dock lines and are sitting listening to howling winds that are gusting to over 30 knots. Now Sunday is looking like a possibility for us to move on.

I thought I might use this occasion to write a blog entry about “some of my favorite things” that we particularly appreciate having on this cruise.  This includes information from friends before we left as well as items that we use.  Our friends, Gordon and Linda Reynolds, shared their log books with us from two previous trips they had made to Chesapeake Bay. Their advice has helped us choose some of the locations we visited and some we still intend to visit. It has been great to have more to go by than just the guidebooks.

Another bit of advice we got years ago from sailing friends, Gerry and Nicky Cooper, was to get the headsets that let the captain and crew talk to each other during anchoring.  It’s SO much better than trying to yell or give hand signals when there is a problem raising or lowering the anchor.  We have even used the headsets when grabbing a mooring ball since the captain can’t really see where the mooring is once we get close to it.

My new favorite thing this year is a pressure cooker.  It allows me to cook in only minutes some foods that usually take a long time like grains, so we use less propane and don’t have to go looking for a refill. It was the “Gourmet Underway” cookbook from my friend Debbie Ortis that sold me on the idea of doing more with a pressure cooker.  On this trip I have even “baked” pumpkin pie, cheesecake and apple crisp in the cooker.  And speaking of food, what would I do without the little hammock, also from Debbie, that has become exclusively for our bananas because it works so well to spare them from banging around and bruising when we are underway.

 

Note banana hammock and "Wilson", our signal booster (blue box)

Our Wilson signal booster that Peter added to the boat prior to the trip has proved to be helpful a number of times.  In a remote anchorage, if Peter’s iPhone has even a weak signal, we use the booster with the iPhone serving as a wi-fi hotspot to get an internet connection.

And how do I keep so fit you may be wondering? Well, as if climbing around the boat, cranking the winches, and walking or biking everywhere were not enough, I like to use a set of stretch bands my sister, Leila Gill, gave us. It takes up almost no space on the boat, and helps me do some core-strength exercises especially for my lower back so I can keep doing all that climbing, walking and cranking. I should also mention our folding bicycles we got a few years ago. The two full-size bikes fit well in our cabin when folded and they  have vastly expanded our range when we go ashore.

 

Folded bikes in their cases in the salon

Now I’m still looking to find a “weather controller.”  Anyone got any suggestions???