Day 65 - N 37 58.650' W 75 51.402' Crisfield, MD

Hello friends.  This is just a short note to let you all know that we have been delayed here in Crisfield by unfavorable weather, but making the best of it.  It looks like we'll be here until Friday, when the forecast turns more favorable for moving to the west side of the Bay.  Our goal is to enter the Rappahannock River and spend some time in a few locations there:  Irvington, Urbanna and Deltaville. We're OK and spending the time doing maintenance chores, catching up on laundry, and seeing a few sights that we were not able to see last time we were here, like the small museum.  More later.

Day 62, N 37° 58.609’ W75° 51.577’ Crisfield, MD

We completed our errands on Solomons Island early, and were underway for Crisfield, MD at 09:30, very pleased with our efficiency.  We were even able to sail for almost an hour before the wind gradually diminished and we had to motor with our main sail up for an assist.  We were making good time when we kept hearing a Navy boat on the radio as it identified passing boats and told them to go around the area because they were about to do an exercise with “live fire”.   We had also heard this the day before but that day we knew we were outside of the charted restricted zone.  We were rather surprised when the Navy boat came our way and gave us the same message, pointing out a “target ship” in the distance.  This was NOT in a charted restricted zone so the Navy boats were kept quite busy directing boating traffic to keep a distance of 3 miles from the target ship.  We had to alter our course, but it did not significantly affect our expected arrival time. We kept watching the “target ship” for some action, but nothing happened. Eventually the Navy announced a cancellation of the exercise, just as we had heard them do the day before.  We never know what we will encounter out in the Bay!

Now we are back in Crisfield, MD where 3 weeks ago we spent an awful night re-setting the anchor three times when very gusty winds caused our anchor to drag.  We chose to anchor again the day of our arrival because the forecast was not for such strong winds.  We made sure the anchor was well set, but then the winds did strengthen some after dark, making us both uneasy and Peter decided to stand an anchor watch while Lyn got some sleep, then Lyn would have a turn. Fortunately for Lyn, the anchor was holding well and as the winds became a little lighter again Peter decided to get some sleep too.  In the morning, we were happy to see all was well and we had not dragged the anchor. Then we moved Kite to a slip in the marina for the day since storms were predicted and we didn’t want to worry about it while we took a small cruise boat to visit Tangier Island – a trip we didn’t want to make in our own boat without local knowledge of the shoals around the island.

The approach to Tangier Island

You have to be 16 and get a license to drive the golf carts

Tangier Island lies about 11 miles west of Crisfield, almost in the middle of the Bay. It has been inhabited for the last two hundred years by people who make their living “crabbing, oystering, fishing and clamming.” It’s only 2.5 miles long and 1 mile wide and 4 ft. above sea level.  There are almost no cars on the island and people get around in golf-carts and bicycles on the narrow roads lined with small houses.  Some 500 people live there today, still making their living as “watermen.”  Many of them still have a distinctive accent attributed to their relative isolation in the past, but today they are well connected to the mainland for communication and supplies.  Although it was raining most of the day, we still took a short golf-card tour ride and then walked around on our own.  The houses and “crab shacks” (where they hold crabs near molting stage so they can market “soft-shell” crabs) are all quite picturesque and we enjoyed the day despite the weather.

Crab shacks and working boats

Before returning to the boat, we just had to try the local crab cakes in a small restaurant --- delicious.

Day 60 – N 38° 19.828’ W 76° 27.553’ Solomons, MD

Ready to watch the Wed. night races

The Wednesday night sailboat races in Annapolis are always a treat, and we enjoyed them again last night.  It was a beautiful evening, with a nice wind blowing in from the south.  Around 18:00 we started to see the boats going out to the starting line area and the parade continued until after 18:30, but there were not as many boats this time as last week.  We prepared to have dinner out in the cockpit, so that we would not miss any of the excitement.  The southerly breeze would ensure that the boats would be tacking as they approached the finish line, which was upstream of the mooring field.  The mooring field had about twice as many boats in it as last week, so there were not as many open places for the racing boats to go.

Tacking through the mooring field

As the first of the boats started approaching the mooring field, the wind had shifted a little more to the east, and it became apparent that if they approached on the eastern side, they had a good chance to be able to make it to the finish line on the same tack.  That spoiled our fun for the first few boats, but then the wind shifted back to a more southerly direction, and we were in luck.  As the majority of boats approached in closely packed groups, they started picking their way through the moored boats, squeaking past moored boats as they tried to avoid each other and gain some advantage.  By 20:00 the wind had died out to barely a breath of air, and there were still 20 boats that had not yet finished.  They were going so slowly in the light wind that it became boring to watch and we went inside to begin preparing for an early morning departure. 

We cast off the mooring line in Annapolis at 07:00 this morning in calm winds and a glassy smooth sea.  The morning forecast said we would have light (5 to 10 knots) west winds in the morning, turning to the southeast by night.  We were prepared to motor the whole 45 miles to Solomons, if necessary, but we had hoped we would get in a few hours of sailing when the wind strengthened to 10 knots.  We set the jib to give us a little more speed with the motor running, and were making pretty good time until about 08:30 when the wind finally got to 10 knots and we shut off the engine and set the mainsail too.  We were able to sustain about 5 to 5.5 knots in this wind and it kept up for about an hour before it gradually got lighter and lighter until our boat speed was down under 4 knots.  At this point we started the engine, then furled the jib and left the main out.  The wind kept diminishing until the Bay was glassy.  It stayed that way for the remainder of our passage to Solomons.  We used quite a bit of fuel today, unfortunately.  When we arrived in Solomons, we refueled and took on about 30 gallons.  We have traveled about 300 miles since the last time we refueled, so it looks like we have sailed about half the miles we’ve traveled and motored the other half.

We’re here because it is located close to a lab where Lyn can get a blood test (routine monthly check for her doctor), and we can pick up our mail at a Post Office nearby.  Then we plan to leave for Crisfield as soon as we get back from these errands, because we want to visit Tangier Island and there is a ferry from Crisfield to Tangier Island.  So if all goes well, we will be leaving Solomons tomorrow morning around 10:00 and should arrive in Crisfield by 16:00.

Day 58 - N 38 58.532' W 76 29.002' Annapolis, MD

Surprise! Back in Annapolis instead of that secluded anchorage on Tilghman Island that I mentioned yesterday.  When we checked the forecast this morning, it was different from what they were saying yesterday, so we adjusted our plans.  Our goal is to get to Solomons Island by Thursday, so that Lyn can have a routine blood test at a nearby lab there on Friday.  Annapolis is actually a bit closer to that destination and when we saw the change in the weather, we decided to take advantage of it.

Under the Bay Bridge across Chesapeake Bay

We had a leisurely motor/sail from Chestertown.  The Chester River is a much tamer beast in 5 to 10 knots of wind than it was 2 days ago in 20 to 30 knots.  Instead of crashing through 5-foot waves against the wind as we headed out of the Chester River (as we saw a few sailboats doing on Sunday when we were heading in), we glided through 1-foot waves against a light breeze for that 4 mile stretch.  I don't know why, but Lyn took a photo of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge as we passed under it approaching Annapolis.  It is the only photo we have today, so we hope you'll enjoy it.  The only negative thing about the day was the temperature.  We started out in 40-degree temperatures, and it only got up to 63 degrees for a high by the time we arrived in Annapolis.  It felt a little warmer because of the light wind, but we still had to bundle up to keep from freezing.  Still waiting for Spring to arrive.

Day 57 – N 39° 12.319’ W 76° 03.824’ Chestertown, MD

After a balmy couple of days in Baltimore with temperatures in the 80s, we’re back in the “arctic”.  We left Baltimore yesterday in a chilly 43°F morning with strong northwest winds, bound for Chestertown, across the Bay and 20 miles up the Chester River.  We saw winds of 30 knots a few times, but it was usually at our back, so we were speeding along under sail only.  In fact, we only had our jib set, and that was furled a bit because the wind was so strong.  But as we surfed down the 5-foot seas we were seeing 8 knots at times.  Our crossing was a total of 47 nautical miles and our average speed for the whole crossing was 5.8 knots, including the 20 miles up the Chester River against a 1 to 2 knot current.  It was invigorating, but we were cold when we arrived in Chestertown at about 15:30 in the afternoon.  Because of the poor holding for our anchor and strong winds, which promised to be the same overnight and Monday (today), we decided to tie up at the marina.  We weren’t disappointed because the forecast turned out to be a bit of an underestimation of the actual winds, and an overestimation of the temperature.  When does Spring arrive?

"Sultana" construction site

We wanted to see Chestertown because it is the home of “Sultana”, the first tall ship we encountered in Annapolis.  It was the dream of one of the citizens to build an exact replica of HMS Sultana, a British warship from 1768.  He eventually got some backing from the state government and private sources and mobilized virtually the entire community of Chestertown to help with the construction of the ship on a construction site right in town.  He got a lot of detailed plans from the British government, as well as the logbooks of the original HMS Sultana, and they started construction in 2001, eventually launching the ship in 2003.  It is true to the original plans in almost every detail, except it has added a modern diesel propulsion system that was not included in the original.  The ship never leaves the Chesapeake Bay, and is used primarily as an educational tool for school children in the state of Maryland.  We wanted to visit a town that would participate in a huge undertaking like that and see it through to a successful venture.

Different houses actually share a common wall

Chestertown has an old-time feeling to it.  There are many 18^th and 19^th century houses lining its brick-paved streets.  In some sections the houses are built right next to each other, with no space at all between the adjoining sides.  Many of the colonial era houses are constructed of brick and are in wonderful condition, externally.  The small front yards are typically planted so densely with varieties of flowers that there is no lawn whatsoever to mow.  Traffic is light on every street in town, except the highway that passes through town and across the river.  We spent the morning walking around the small town center, and also saw the original construction site of “Sultana”.  At lunchtime, we stopped in to a small corner café, the Lemon Tree Café, and sampled some of the best creamy crab soup we have ever had.  It is served with a small carafe of sherry, a teaspoon of which adds just the right flavor to the soup.  We sat down just before noon and the café was nearly empty, but within 30 minutes it had filled to capacity.  The townspeople obviously know where to go for a great lunch, and we agree with their choice!

Colonial home built in 1720

After lunch we walked around the few remaining streets in the town center that we had not already seen, and then returned to Kite in mid-afternoon to think about where we would go next.  The forecast for tomorrow calls for more northwest winds, maybe a little lighter in strength – we’ll see about that.  So our strategy is to sail back down the Chester River, mainly a southwesterly direction until the last 4 miles when it turns to the northwest to enter the Bay.  But at the point where the river turns north, there is a narrow passage to the south that cuts through Kent Island and lets you avoid that northerly part of the river.  We felt there is a strong possibility that the northerly section of the river would be a very miserable place to be in a strong northwest wind, so we have chosen to take the Kent Narrows passage and head for a secluded, well-protected anchorage at the top of Tilghman Island to wait for better weather, possibly Thursday, before continuing our southward exploration of the Bay.

Day 55 – N 39° 16.826’ W 76° 34.937’ Baltimore, MD

Friday morning we took a dock cart to the nearby West Marine to buy one of those new Lehr propane-powered 2.5 HP outboard motors for our dingy and rid ourselves of the continuous problems of our gas-powered outboard motor. We had no good place to carry the old motor on board once we put the new motor on the mount, so we posted a sign at the marina that anyone who wanted to take the old outboard could have it. Then we set out to take a long walk along the river boardwalk from Baltimore’s Canton area to its famous Inner Harbor area. The boardwalk goes out around various old waterfront docks and made the walk even longer than we expected, but it was a pleasant temperature for walking.

"Dragon" peddle boats in Inner Harbor

We arrived at the Inner Harbor and had a nice lunch at the Cheesecake Factory there. Our daughter Dawn got her nursing degree in Baltimore at Johns Hopkins a few years ago, so we had visited the city a few times in the past (by land) and had already gone to some of the sites like the impressive aquarium there. So this day we just wandered around the Inner Harbor enjoying the sunshine for awhile and then decided to take the water taxi back to our marina to give our tired feet a rest. We had been hoping to get together with Annie Sennet, a long-time friend from Peter’s years working at SAFT. Annie now manages the SAFT location on the outskirts of Baltimore, and between that and the activities her two daughters are involved in, we couldn’t get it arranged.  Fortunately we do get to see her from time to time at SAFT-related events in Florida.

   

Today, Saturday, was a day spent at the marina doing a few boat chores while waiting an extra day for better weather before leaving Baltimore and heading to our next destination.  

We got a call in the morning from someone who wanted our old motor, and when he came to get it, he gave us some money for it even though it was offered for free. Then we tried out the new motor using one of those small camp-grill propane bottles for fuel.  It started up nicely and Peter took the dinghy for a spin up and down the fairway. No more dinghy motor problems (we hope)!

One day's accumulated litter

No doubt about it, being in the big city has its conveniences, but dealing with litter in the water is definitely not one of them.  The amount of litter that gradually collects each day along the harbor edges is appalling, but they do have a way to handle it that I have never seen before. I call it a water sweeper, like a street sweeper.  It didn’t come today so I didn’t get a picture.  It is a boat with a device mounted on the front that sucks in water taking the floating trash along with it and conducts it up a conveyor belt into a bin as it drains the water off.  It’s a clever invention that should not even be necessary, but it is.     

After enjoying this day of warmer temperatures and intermittent sunshine, we hoisted our cocktail flag and sat in the cockpit drinking rum cokes. Then one of those “scattered showers”, which turned into a thunderstorm, chased us inside the cabin where cocktails continued while we listened to music and made dinner.

Rainbow through the thunderstorms