2021 Log

Weekend 3/14..took shrink wrap off.

Sat March 21

Drove to Annapolis to Chesapeake Sails to pick up adjusted jib and canvas. Back to Tidewater to put up Elvstrom main which Chuck suggested might be a better main,  and hoisted/furled jib.

Sun March 22nd

Back to Tidewater with more projects

Sat March 27

Lovely day to work on baji-naji. Brought work laptop to see if I could get it to work. OK but wifi only works well from above. Will need to try phone as a hotspot one of these days.  Installed the bimini and the new sound/light bar.

Sunday was rainy-stay at home day.

Sat April 3

Replaced bow thruster blades.  Tried the new rub-rail caps - not easy to install, but looks better.  Installed the cockpit table.

Tues April 6

Replaced bow thruster zincs, as Garrett was worried that there wasn’t as much material left as it looked.

Sat April 10

First sail of the season!!!!! Engine hours at start of season:219 hrs. Wind from NE. Could have sailed out but motored out instead and put sails up near the green off Aberdeen. Just a day sail to just past Turkey Point and the red/green. Elvstrom mainsail is really nice and the adjusted jib is good. Not really enough wind pressure to check when tacking if the jib comes across properly.

Got back into dock easily, minimal wind. I had the spring and port aft tie on before Laz noticed. Bow thruster works fine.

Purasan kept cycling. Need to troubleshoot.

Brought down aft mattress to stow in the V until Nate is done with generator work. Also brought cushions for the cockpit. Reorganized below decks with cushions back in place.

Sun April 11

Another beautiful day! Good breeze, day sail again since the generator still needed to be commissioned and Nate and crew were going to fix the fuel valve so we didn't want to put the aft mattress in place until that was done. Winds from SW so motored much of the way out . Vela came out after us so we got some nice footage of her. Wind was good for a bit. Sailed across to the channel or just past and the wind was getting softer so came back in. 

Weekend of 4/17-18

No sailing as Jacqui, Oliver and Derby were at the house on their way through from Norwich, CT to Denver. Wonderful to see them, but a visit to baji-naji was not on their to-do list. 

Sat April 24: 

Went to Oso for breakfast, picked up un-iced strawberry scones and some egg bites. Got subs from Sam's and headed to Tidewater. Purasan not yet fixed so not able to use the head. Brought a pink bucket in case over the stern was not feasible. Lovely winds from NW and 10-15. Didn't get off the docks until after noon-ish. Went into the Sassafras up past Betterton and back. 

Sun April 25: 

More winds. Off the docks at 11:45am or so. NW winds,12-16 with gusts to 22 on the way out. We had put up sails after we left the fairway at Tidewater and was at Still Pond just after 2pm. Anchored off the North side, confirmed the windlass works. A little rocky and breezy, put the dodger up to enjoy lunch. Anchor was good and dug in so Laz used the up and down of the waves to help pull it out. Decided to reef 2 as the promised gusts to 25 were in evidence. Had not reefed on way to Still Pond. Was a bit of a weather helm and Laz tightened the back stay tensioner which helped. Ended up reefing the jib as well by furling it partway. We definitely got to hull speed heading out and coming back in. Pretty sure it was almost 8 kts over water. 

Amazing how coming into the fairway at Tidewater knocks the wind right down, making it a bit easier to get into our slip. Getting better at backing up in the fairway and using the bow thruster to cheat if needed. 

May 1

A working weekend for Laura. Decided to go for the weekend anyway. Brought some Mt. Tam to share with Jeff Cook. All the work had been finished so Purasan working and Nate had fixed the fuel valve for the generator and checked it out. Noted that the port underlighting is not working and that the outlets are not working at all, even though I had plugged in the vacuum a few weeks ago and it worked. Dan spent some time troubleshooting then we decided not to worry about it for this moment. Will need to email Garrett and Nate and see what's up. Need those to work! Got the aft mattress in and Laura did one case and then it was time to go out. Left the dock around 3:15. Winds were 10+ from the NW, well started NW then moved to SW later. Sailed out on mostly a broad reach with decent breeze. Northern Loon, a Tartan 34 was coming in the channel as we were headed out. We passed each other near the spoil island. Saw a barge coming in. We were able to take the inner lane by Spesutie and avoid the channel altogether. Headed to Knight Island. Had one small spot of doldrums but decent breeze 5-10 after that. Low water levels! Anchored near the hut and you could see lots of gravel at the shore...several feet lower than normal.

Purasan did indeed work as advertised! 

May 2

Coffee and scones and a small yogurt for Laura. Was able to make the phone hot spot wifi work, as I needed to do a couple things on the work laptop. Saw Mare Calmo on our way out. We were able to sail much of the way, once we passed the former Red 6 ( still not there). Good sailing, much of it a reach once we were out of the Sassafras, and along the way passed Fitz on Tranquility.  Got in with it quite breezy but able to get her into the slip without difficulty. 

May 8-9

Too chilly to sail. Got annuals instead. Garrett had a look for our issues and outlets not working was due to a loose wire under the starboard settee. Portside underlighting also fixed.

May 14

A year since we took possession! Happy baji-naji versary! Of course we headed down. I had stopped to get food from Talula's as well as cake from Oso. Ended up with just a Farm salad for dinner as my parents called just after we arrived and had put cold provisions away and then Johnny came by to say hi. Late dinner.  Then long chat with Barb.  Not in bed til MN. Laz got up to fix the lines as we were rubbing up against the piling on starboard side 

May 15

Got up around 0830, made french toast for breakfast, with VT maple syrup. Wandered over to see the beaver that we saw swimming past the opening of the fairway, but missed him. Said hi to John of Mare Calmo, he was cleaning his decks. Walked the docks and said good morning to Johnny. Laz walked Sonja's sail back to her as she is in her place. He called Chuck to remind him to pick up the jib and trampoline for fixing.

Very light wind this am and early afternoon. Motored most of the way, tried a few times to sail, but one time lasted about 10min, or maybe not even. Picked up when we got past Still Pond and had come around behind us - NNW to start. Headed towards Poole's on a very nice broad reach then jibed to come into Worton's. Wind picked up 10-13 NE, so went back out again . Somehow managed to furl the code-0 incorrectly so when we jibed, it would not unfurl correctly. Used the jib. Laz dropped the code-0 into the V, but forgot that the sheets tangled the jib sheets as they were still attached. Went up to unclip and untangle then could tack. Good breeze to take us all the way in Worton's.  Talula's chicken, roasted vegetables and mashed potato dinner. Strawberry salad to start and chocolate mousse to finish.

May 16

Clogged the head with my poop.  Learned to put more water in the bowl at the start. Luckily a good long soak with water in the bowl allowed for a proper flush!

Nice breeze to start.  Put up the main at anchor, then the code-0 and headed west across the bay.  Jibed northward for a long reach.  Light winds gave us 2-3 + 1 with the tide.  Pleasant.  Wind picked up as we neared Aberdeen, and we scooted across close-hauled.  Relaxed again up the channel, and were at the dock around 4p.  Chatted with Steve and Johnny as we packed up.

May 22

Didn't make it down Fri night as we had to go grocery shopping. Got going Sat, with a stop at Sam's for lunch subs and Bomboy's for birthday chocolate for Alison and Julie. With some for baji-naji too!

Good breeze from NW was predicted and we had light from the SE. Did pick up a little later, but then fizzled again. Some sailing but then had to use the engine. Laz narrowly avoided the bump out off the N side of the Sassafras. The nuns were re-numbered with ghost 6 still missing, so former 8 is now 6.  Decided to try a new anchorage, Woodland Creek off the Sassafras. Previously to approach after daymark 10 (now 8). Anchored just off Old Field Point, which had a delightful view all around, a little reminiscent of Eagle Cove in the Magothy. The Old Field had a bare tree with bald eagles and there were osprey all around, as well as fish jumping. One of the shores is rocky, so the wakes would create the sound of water through rocks which is lovely. I went in for a brief swim, more like a dunk and cool down as the day was quite warm (up to 90). Saw other motorboaters anchor in further to swim/stand in the shallow. Not protected from the main channel, so while relatively far from the channel still had a fair bit of boat wake. Also the wake of the motorboats coming and going in the creek. Behind Knight Island on Back Creek is not as busy and more protected from main channel traffic. 

Had Dungy crab meat on wedge salads, mine with avo, and Laz made his world famous 1000 island dressing. Tess' focaccia and dip rounded out the meal and dessert was leftover birthday cake (chocolate and passion fruit mousse in flourless chocolate cake with chocolate ganache).

Chores done: Laz fixed the main cabin and V berth fans which mysteriously had their polarity reversed and we're pushing air into the wall not the cabin. Plus tightened the screws on the seats in the cockpit and changed the cigarette lighter charger to one that reads the voltage. 

Very warm night but cooled reasonably with fans working properly and hatches open. 

Tons of mosquito looking bugs had come in (but did not bite!) I exhausted the vacuum battery trying to vacuum them all!

May 23

Great wind! Had hard boiled eggs and a sour cherry chocolate scone with fresh cantaloupe and pineapple for breakfast, relaxing morning then off by 10:30 or so. Wind from W so able to tack out the Sassafras after motoring past the ghost Red 6. Turner Creek allows you to get pretty close to land, had to tack a few times but so worth it for the glorious sailing. A beautiful dark hulled yawl was following us out, overtook us when we sailed but we caught up and passed. Person on board appeared to be soloing it... definitely made some interesting choices of tack and sail. Winds to 15, usual shifty direction, but has all of the wide part of the Sassafras to play in. Crab lines have been installed! Laz got the idea to have the Code-0 up in addition to the jib. Must be due to seeing the yawl with 3 sails! Worked a treat and added a knot to our speed!

Stayed windy so we tacked a good part of the way to Susquehanna, but gave it up in the narrower part of the channel. Lots of summer like boat traffic with folks anchored off the spoil islands. Hot hot hot, again 90+ but breeze was awesome. As we dropped sail, Laz noticed one of the lower battens had come out of it's pocket. Did not want to fix in harbor. Got back into the slip around 4:30 and adjusted our position in the slip to raise sail and fix the batten.  Relaxed with cheese and crackers before cleaning up and making our way home. 

May 28

Apparently a little too relaxed last weekend as the propane solenoid control was left in the on position. Made pizza pot pie in the oven with a spinach, tomato and apple salad tossed with key lime/white balsamic dressing. Was able to leave work and be down at Tidewater by 6:30pm. Relaxing evening...until bedtime when I realized that I left my mouth guard and glasses case at home. Oh well. To bed by 10p with lots of rain for company. 

May 29

Woke around 8:30. A little rough sleeping due to lack of mouth guard although CPAP was OK for Laz with some foam to cushion from the hull. Decided it made best sense to run home for stuff as there are 2 more nights aboard.

Stopped at Concord Point Coffee for a ½ caff plus apple turnovers, palmiers and a cinnamon walnut coffee cake slice. Back to 809. Kylo was gone, so Nick must have picked up. Got the needed items plus bacon and eggs and headed back to the marina. Forecast of intermittent rain, 10-15 with gusts to 20. Off the dock by noon and NE wind so put up sail, reef 1 and headed out the channel under sail. Lots of gusts and building wind with seas up to 2ft. Mostly broad reach or beam. Past the first green off of Spesutie, on port tack, wind built with gusts to 25 so we decided to go to reef 2. Laz worked the reef and halyard as I turned her into the wind. We then headed back out just past the yellow then turned parallel to Aberdeen shore. Lovely long run, with a shift when we tacked at Still Pond entrance. Port tack to a light stanchion outside of Worton. Laz was working seas and wind with a steady 20 and long bursts of 25. Turned onto Worton with less seas and furled the jib in the inner part, dropped the main and nestled into a favorite anchorage spot. Bald eagles flew across the bow as we approached to anchor. Dropped 90 ft of chain as it is still blowing. Just as we anchored it started to rain. Had missed all the rain during our sail! Lucky day! Laz tucked away the sail, I plugged in the generator and we started the heat when we came below. Works beautifully!

Laura stalked the boat next to us “Blue Note” which had sailed up from the Carib.  Somehow she found their email and Insta account, where we discovered they had two cats!  One black, the other leopard.  Too cute.  They were hunkered down until the sun came out on Monday, and then continuing their journey up the East Coast.  They will get in touch on their way back this fall.

Hot chocolate, Conshy bakery bread and olive oil/herb/Parm/romano cheese dip, and cheese and crackers were in order! Turned off the generator and heat...got to 65 pretty quick!

May 30

Leisurely morning, woke to rain and chilly temps. Made french toast with bacon and a mini omelet with the leftover egg batter. Used the oven for the bacon and to keep the french toast warm before serving, which did warm the cabin a little. Had hot chocolate mochas to take the chill off. Poked my head up when I heard the eagles chittering outside and saw one flying away from us with a fish in its claws. Cleaned up and off the hook by 11am. More NW wind fairly strong 10-15+ with gusts to 20, so Laz set reef 2 and we headed out. 

One tack all the way to Point Ferry Marina in the Magothy. Broad reach all the way down, beam to get across and close-hauled to get through the channel. Put the engine on for the channel as it is narrow and with the wind, wanted options. Did not have to use it really. We made the trip to the Magothy in 3 hours and to the marina in 4. Got confused as to which marina, so went up a pretty little creek. Laz called and got clear directions, the marina is in from Magothy Marina just East of it. Narrow slip,no lines on her, had to fend the starboard aft piling when Laz was trying to set the port bow tie and spring, but got in reasonably well otherwise. Large motorboat/trawler next to us looked like a live aboard, turns out the dock master lives on it. A nice young lady came to help us dock/fend/tie off and showed us where the office was. Made it to the office by 5p to pay for the slip. Got a swag bag from the marina with a cookie, a bottle opener, a pen, a flashlight and info on Atlantic Marinas (there are 3). The bag itself is a nice bag as well. Office told us to go ahead and put our names in for the restaurant as it is quite popular. When we went by the young lady said it was too early and to come back at 5:30. Took a walk along the docks, found Bill's boat, Carpe Ventum, and talked with the owner of a 50ft Bristol, beautiful dark hulled boat. Back to baji-naji for a shower, while Laz went to put our name in for a table. Apparently in that 1/2 hr so many people showed up that they said our sit down time was now 8:30! Figured we would need snacks and a new plan

Bill called to say he'd arrived and we invited him down to baji-naji. Gave him a tour below. Got apps out (veggies and hummus, cheese and crackers and some of the ham summer sausage). Decided we might be able to do takeout and have all of us in the cockpit if need be. John and Kitty showed up a little before 7, and Lee had texted they were dropping the kids back home and would be there shortly. Bill shares the boat with a guy named Pete and they usually sail together as Bill's wife Dee is not an avid sailor. 

Bill is a Chem E who works out at Aberdeen. Lee and Jon brought a birthday gift for baji-naji from Kaimana as Jon put it, a "gotcha day" gift. Head lamps!

We decided to try to wait it out, as it was chilly to eat in the cockpit and a little spritzy… put the dodger up. Lots of great conversation and some snacking then Dan got a text from the restaurant that our table was ready… it was just past 7:30, much better than 8:30 so we made our way there. Food was excellent. Most of us had fish tacos, Lee and I shared so we each had an ahi tuna and a cod, Kitty had clams, John a chicken sandwich. The burgers looked good as well. We started off with deviled eggs that were really good. Tacos came with a generous side salad which I opted to take out with the last deviled egg. We left when it was clear the restaurant was clearing out, then stood outside for a while longer talking before finally saying last goodbyes. Lee was overcome with emotion to be out to dinner with friends with no masks and inside, and Kitty was very happy to dine with friends. She and John have done well in isolation, but as she put it, even though she is an introvert, she was happy to be out with people. It's been a long year+. Take out lemon cheesecake and then off to bed by 11:15 or so.

May 31

Alarm went off at 0800 (forgot to turn it off) but wanted to be up/out anyway as it was a long trip home. Off the dock before 0900. Had coffee with cinnamon in the travel mug, a warmed up scone and my yogurt above, ready to eat underway.

Awesome wind from the NW 10+ in the Magothy so reef 1 and and sailed out. Wind was not as strong once past Gibson, in the mouth of the Patapsco, so we raised the main all the way. 

Lots of tacking, not much progress as shifty wind due N, NNE, NNW, so when almost beam from Tolchester decided to motor til Poole's. Still not much wind, motored to Worton, then saw 12kts from the SE so we put out the Code-0, went along a short bit then the wind died.  Furled it back up but then somewhere around Still Pond it built, from the SW so we put out the Code-0 again and had a lovely sail to nearly even with Betterton. Tide had changed so we were losing 1.5 it's so decided to furl the Code-0 and motor on in. It was also 6pm. Heated up some Nomadic quiche in the oven for dinner. We ran the forward tank dry as we noticed a strong sulfur smell from it before. Will need to bleach a little and refill next weekend.   Laz set the autopilot to a specific way point. Seemed to work, although it needed to get to the previous set heading before it went the way we thought it should go. Took down the Code-0, packed up clothes and things on our way in.  Beautiful day, beautiful motor sailing in and got her into the slip without issue. Mike our neighbor was there. He and the family were out and he was just tidying up and on his way. He handed off the dock lines.  Packed up the cooler and headed to Bomboy's for dessert, peach milkshake for Laz and small choc chip on a cone for me!

Headed home just before 9pm. Lovely long weekend.

Chores before vacation: refill water tanks, fill fuel tank, wash sheets and towels, ask Garrett to fix chain on autopilot, set up stereo and lights in cockpit, set up Laz's CPAP for noise and with cigarette lighter.

June 5

Late night working Fri night to get 5 days worth of work into 3. To the marina, left house by 10:30 or so and to the marina by 11:30. Could not do CPAP as parts at home. Checked into the store for best way to clean out the tank and decided on bleach. 1 gallon per 100 gallons to clear. ½ cup per 100 gallons each tank change so roughly 1.5 to 2 oz per 40 gallon tank to keep it fresh. Added 2 oz to aft tank and then the rest of the bleach to the forward. Jeff said to let sit an hour then drain and refill with the 2 oz. Filled both then watched ramp drama where motorboat it forgot to put the plug in then the strap to haul boat out snapped. All the shouting and panicking and swearing we decided to leave the bleach water overnight, use the other tank only and get the hell outta Dodge. Wind from S-SE, put up main in harbor then motored most of the way out. Decent wind to start 7-10 kts, pulled out the jib and able to sail just past the second to last red. Favorable shifts so across reasonably well to mouth of Sassafras and tacked our way to Still Pond. Wind built to 15-16 at times and was surprisingly steady all day. Scoped out the boats (lots of motor, few sails) then one more long tack out then back in. Settled in outer cove, very pretty, bald eagles around and gorgeous sunset. Had been a fairly hot day to 90° at least so salads for dinner, Laz with Farm salad from Talula's and me with chix Ceasar from GFG. Too hot to each cheese baguette. Ran generator, turns out circuit breaker pops when both run and cycle on at the same time. Brought temps down in cabin, then turned off for the night, running the fans only with hatches open. Laz had bought me a bug screen for the gangway hatch so tried that for the might. Cooled down reasonably well and lights out at 10:30 or so. Double Bonine for me as took one in am (forgot Fri night) then another 1/8 at dinner. 

June 6

Laz up at 8, me at 9 (double Bonine) made coffee, omelette with garlic and seasonings and heated bacon and cheese scone. Cinnamon coffee in commuter mug.

Off the anchor by 10:35 and sailed out on a reach. Wind about 5 to start, S SE. Had code-0 up, them wind fizzled around noon so had to furl and engine on. Back to Tidewater early ~2-2:30p. Flushed/filled forward water tank after chlorine shock. Filled both tanks in advance of trip next weekend. Did other chores like putting hole in master cabin for cigarette lighter for CPAP. After 5pm, Jeff Cook came by with his cooler and hung out. At one point Johnny and Tina were by as well as John from Mare Calmo and someone else. Felt like the Byng! Lovely to socialize after all this time. John wanted to share that he met Lee & Jon when doing the race down in Baltimore which was really fun. We said we saw them out yesterday racing; he said they placed 5th out of 11.

Sat June 12

Up early for a Sat.had packed meds and clothes Fri night then packed food. There is a lot for 2 weeks. Out of the house by 9:30, called Sam's for scrapple and egg on round roll to split and and Italian sub for lunch. Left Kennett before 10:00am. Laz had loaded provisions last so I could put them away first. We have a large refrig! Out of the marina before noon. Ate lunch on the way out. East wind so put up main and jib, but very light winds. Switched to NW and really dwindled so motored much of the way to Worton. Of course wind picked up a little just outside Worton. Had a run in with a crab pot with a trailing line which was invisible and pulled it under the boat. Went to neutral and luckily line had not wrapped the line around the propeller. That took some explaining from Laz to educate me on the dangers of that. Anchored near our favorite spot in Worton and saw an eagle up in a tree right near us. Washed the cockpit with the new sponge (boat eraser) which works pretty well without soap, using water from Worton we brought up in a bucket. Went for a swim, around baji-naji three times and then hung out on the bow to dry off. Laz rigged a clothesline for the wet bathing suits. I made grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches and we finished the leftover egg salad. Gorgeous sunset with overhead cloud cover. Went below at 9:30p although the colors had not yet stopped. I had a very upset gut, no idea why. I definitely challenged the Purasan. To bed by 10:30 or 11.

Getting the hang of it.  

June 13

Up at 0730 with Laz snoring. CPAP on 12V plug worked well, still had a weird hum which got better and then worse again. Slept reasonably well, though gut still unhappy. Made coffee and heated a plain scone in the oven to serve with raspberry jam. Added a yogurt eaten slowly over the am. Pulled anchor before 0900. Laz had re-rigged the code-0 so we sailed a bit out of Worton. Wind was from the SE then shifted to the S then over to SSW. Wanted to sail out to avoid using the engine and avoid crab pots. Had to motor when almost to the channel, with wind shifts going the wrong way!  Wind built so was able to sail once past Poole's. Pretty good sailing with wind to 10+ tacking some. When headed to the Magothy noticed large dark clouds over Baltimore. Checked the radar and large storm system looked like it was coming our way. Decided to furl and get under the Bay Bridge. Asked Laz to take down the code-0 as well, so it wouldn't get wet. Then motored to the bridge. At 2400 rpm she will do 6.8 over the water instead of 6.3 at 2000 rpm. Tried this before we were sailing directly into the wind. Under the bridge ~ 2:30pm and put out the jib as we could sail. Wind 10-15, mostly 13+. Lovely sail in, turned into the wind and motored in. Could not get Bert Jabins on phone or VHF. Circled a bit...all the way in Back Creek crowded with kayakers, SUPs, yachts everywhere. Decided to pull up to the dock at one of the boat ramps. I jumped off the side, tied one line and Laz threw others for us to tie her in. Walked up the dock to where everyone was working hard to get boats to hi&dry and found someone to tell me which slip (F2). Walked over to check it out...big marina! Noticed a generous fairway and figured we could back her in. Thought about 'borrowing a line' to help us do so, and decided against it. Got back on board baji-naji and motored to the slip and watched a Sun Odessey 36.1 back into the slip we almost 'borrowed' a line from! Managed to back her in with the help of the bow thruster and directions from Laz. Snug slips here. Quick showers then tried to hail a water taxi at 5:30...no go. Got a Lyft instead, Laz had to run back and get masks. Got to O'Leary's by 6pm and noticed Atlantic Yachts was right next door...they have the Dufours now.. walked over and there were none, just F-Ps. Had a wonderful dinner with Smudge and Clark. Really liked the buffalo fried oysters. Laz had the rockfish and I had the halibut in a coconut chili type sauce with butterscotch pudding for dessert., Clark and Sarah drove us back to our boat. Invited them aboard, Sarah loved the interior and exterior. Clark declined to come aboard but enjoyed from the dock. 

Walked over to E pier after seeing them off and met a nice young couple on a Sabre named Pazuzu which means “wind devil” in Ancient Mesopotamian.

Walked back to baji-naji and took a left at the T and found a Dufour 412 just down a little ways. 3 ft makes for a much bigger feeling boat. Back aboard baji-naji and ready for bed. Left all the hatches open, great breeze tonight.

June 14 Monday

Nate from Horton Marine Services was going to come by and have a look at the generator, so we were up by 7:30 or so. Walked up to the shore head which was being cleaned, so went to the cafe which opened at 0730 and had great coffee and got bacon egg & cheese on sourdough to split with Laz. Picked up an OJ for him as well… they had the Tropicana. Went to the head, now clean, then back up to the office to check in and out. Found out check out time is 11am. Laz had filled the aft water tank as it was a little too much chlorine while I got breakfast. Then Laz called Raritan to troubleshoot the Purasan while we waited for Nate. Raritan suggested taking off the wood bar which held the tank in place and it might have been tripping the sensor. As Laz was on the phone, Matt arrived and Nate shortly thereafter with his 18 mo old son (Felix?). Chatted a while then discussed the only issue with the generator, when it turned off when both air con were cycling at the same time. Suggestion to put in a Smart Start, which decreases the load by 60% after it learns the cycle. Nate went off with his son and Matt did the installation while Laz removed the wood bar. Matt used to do the Annapolis to Oxford run delivering Hinckleys a while ago as we told him we were headed out to Oxford. He explained that the generator protects itself from overloads.

Also, things are set up so we never run out of charge to start the engine. 

We were able to pull out of the slip before 11am and put up sail right after we cleared the yellow. Went straight across to the other side before tacking. SSE wind. Next tack took us to Thomas Point light. Had fun 'racing' with a Naval Academy boat although when we turned into the Choptank they kept going south. Wind built with gusts to 15-16, we did not reef but we saw the NA boat reef or something. Wind shift to the S put us ahead of them, which was fun. Bit choppy sailing in the channel into the Choptank… going right into the wave chop. Saw the Leaning Tower of Abandoned Light Ho as we went past. Wind stayed strong and steady so made great way. Going up the Choptank definitely doing mostly 7+. Made our way towards the Tred, using what we thought  was the Choptank light but was actually a house to the left, not far off the green we were looking for. Beautiful sail into the Tred, wing the whole way. Rolled up towards the marina and furled the jib. Dropped the mainsail coming into the channel for Oxford. Circled the new floating docks to see if we could figure out which slip we were assigned and ended up picking one a couple down from the fuel dock. Actually probably at the site of my infamous Gail Force landing. Had a nice young man try to help, but it became obvious he was not clued. Used the bow thruster and Laz on the dock to get us situated. A quick change of clothes and off to Capsize for dinner as it was 7:30p at that point. Noticed a Dufour 410GL in the Oxford boatyard on our way over and also noticed Scottish Highland Creamery closed at 9pm. Had a delightful dinner at Capsize, shared a wonderful 3 cheeses crab dip with what must have been house made pretzel rolls… more like pretzel croissants. Laz had a lemon chicken salad on greens and I had seared ahi lettuce wraps with avocado and fried wonton strips. Delicious! I went and picked up ice cream (almond joy and salted caramel ripple) and brought it back to our table to enjoy. Took home some of the crab dip and a slice of lemon Smith Island cake for dessert another night. Walked back through the boatyard and around the Dufour 410. She is definitely having something done to the rub rails, she has the white ones with metal down the middle, and it was off in some places. Back to baji-naji, with Laz calling his Mom to check in while we walked. You could see the storms north with lightning as we got back. Had to plug in the electric and check and reset the lines with the incoming storm. Stayed out for a while to watch the lightning then went below. Watched a while longer then to bed around 11pm. Wind picked up and was howling so I had trouble falling asleep but Laz sacked out. Torrential rains plus wind made for a 'spicy' night as another sailor put it in the morning. Glad we double checked the lines and reset the fenders. Nice to have floating docks.

Tuesday June 15

Got up late… 0900… made hard boiled eggs, shared an Oso chorizo manchego scone and some cantaloupe, pineapple and blueberries. Went up to the office to say hello and bought a couple of 4 packs of boat TP. Met a guy on a big FP cat, normally a racing sailor out of West River. He was on a family vacation with kids on the cat. Filled up our gallon water jugs and one bottle and headed back to the boat. Met the person across the way with his young Korean looking son on a 27' Island Packet they keep in the Northeast on a mooring ball. Nice to chat with him. I decided to scrub the starboard aft rub rail with the boat eraser because I could reach, given the floating docks. Didn't get the skid marks from Tidewater's outer fuel dock all out, but it is much better. Laz called Raritan again and today's test was to take the sensors off line and use the Purasan manually. Changed into a bathing suit top/bottom for sailing and was prepping to go when we met Lourdes and Sean, retired Navy on a boat from Norfolk who went as far North as Provincetown before turning around. Swapped sailing stories and places to go, how to get up to LI Sound and Laz gave them a baji-naji card. It ended up being around 1:30 before we left the dock. Decided to go to Hudson Creek because it was closer than other options. Had a lovely NNW wind to sail out in, strong, blowing to 15 at times but settled to mostly 12-13. Laz made us PB&J sandwiches around 2pm. Beautiful sail to Hudson Creek. baji-naji goes really well and really smoothly close hauled or any tack actually.  Got to Hudson Creek to find 3! sailboats, but they anchored in the outer area. No one in our favorite spot in front of the mansion! First try to anchor did not hold, went farther into the cove and anchored nicely. Put down 60 ft in 8 ft.  Laz did some chores, putting the wood cross piece back in front of the holding tank. I helped him snake a string so we can pull the cable for the speakers and cockpit lights. Went for a swim around the boat twice and felt what seemed like sea grass or long hair...turns out there were baby nettles!!! Got stung in a few places. Water temp 80°. This is the earliest we have seen them. Grabbed showers, anti sting gel and then made dinner: TJ's Beef Bolognese ravioli with sauteed spinach and cherry tomatoes and garlic bread with cheese. Enjoyed our meal in the cockpit with the sunset. Looked at the charts and will likely try for the Honga tomorrow. Beautiful sky with sunset and crescent moon. Wind was blowing nicely when we were up on the bow enjoying some intimate time. Lemon Smith Island cake for dessert, yum, then to bed. 

Wednesday June 16

Got up at 0740, Laz was still fast asleep but up shortly thereafter. I decided on French Toast, bacon and fruit for breakfast. Made the bacon first, which took a while in the oven. Need to put it all the way in the oven and turn to the highest setting. Made 3 egg French toast and a mini omelet with it, served with Cara Cara orange slices and some blueberries for me. And coffee. Wind was blowing beautifully from the NW so we decided to sail out of Hudson Creek. Kept the engine on to charge batteries but also in case of trouble. Lovely sail out, breezy to 12-13 kts and down to 9 or 10. Jib tacked, then brought her up into the wind and tacked to make the curves of the Little Choptank. Laz called Raritan for the daily update and they agreed the sensors were likely the issue, especially with the waste pipe behind them. Got out to the open bay and the wind died. Was only 2-4. With the code-0 and the outgoing tide we were doing only 2.5 kts and had a long way to go as we were headed for the Honga. Put on the engine and made our way south. Laz put on the auto pilot, keeping an eye on everything, but we were able to read our books. Saw pelicans at the mouth of the Honga, saw the fish roil then the pelican dive into it! Glassy water, but made great time by motor. 2200 rpm gave us 7.5 with the tide in our favor. Motored up the Honga a bit until nearly the first green then turned around to find an anchorage spot. There was another boat of the Beneteau/Dufour variety in one of the spots we were thinking of, so we went further in, to give them their own spot. Anchored in Flag Cove between the 2 red day marks 2 and 4, and saw a cow nose ray grazing in the cove headed upstream. Laz worked on the sensors in the holding tank to move them, but need to ask Garrett how to turn the system off and reset. We enjoyed a cheese and crackers dinner (cream cheese and Worcestershire, Tillamook Extra Sharp cheddar, NY extra sharp cheddar, cheddar horseradish, the last of the Noble Road brie, Dakin Farms ham summer sausage, Harry & David Italian salami and some pepperoni with crackers) with a stunning sunset over Middle Hooper Island.  Read and watched the sunset awhile then came below to enjoy the fresh orange sugar cookie from Flour & Oats and the classic Fudge caramel cookie. Could see the sunset out the salon windows.

While putting away the extra after dinner mint in the fridge just before bed, I pulled the forward hinge out of its place, screws came right out!! Luckily Laz had other screws and replaced the baby screws in both hinges with better screws. Managed to drop a screw from the piston into the fridge and we both went for it, ensuring it got lost in the fridge. Luckily, Laz had a replacement in his magic box of extra things. A little excitement for the evening. Time for bed!

Thursday June 17

Up and out. Up just before 0800 and out by 0850 with 6-7 kts of N -NNE wind. Had Oso strawberry scones and mochas on deck, plus coconut yogurt for me.  Put up the mainsail right away after pulling up the anchor and headed out on a beam. Saw a pod of dolphin!!!! Two came right up to baji-naji!!! Must have been about 20 all together. Watched them go up river for a good 5-10 minutes. Lovely sail out of the Honga. Able to use the code-0 which Laz rigged before we left the anchorage. Laz called Raritan as he saw that the holding tank was full and the pump to take wasted out of the tank and put in the Purasan wasn't working. They thought it could be a blown fuse. Could not use the head this trip and would need a pumpout at Somers Cove.  Sailed through Hooper Straight with a steady wind 7-10 kts. Had to go a bit North to where the Honga meets Fishing Bay and the Nanticoke rivers, before turning South into Tangier Bay. More pelican and we saw a pair of egrets flying. 

Wind died off around 1:30pm so we decided to furl the code-0. I decided to take it all the way down and stow it. We motored a little while then the wind started to pick up so we took out the jib. Wind quickly built a crazy amount to 15 kts, and we made really good time to the Jane Island light and Crisfield. We were at the fuel dock by 3:30 for pump out and then over to our slip G13. Backed in, which was not easy given the windage. Had the marina maintenance guy and two other dock hands helping. Got baji-naji snugged in then went to the office as requested.  As a welcome, we received two slices of  a version of Smith Island cake (red velvet), some coupons, with descriptions of different businesses and  a thorough description of all the codes for entry, bath house etc. That dockhand was definitely on the spectrum and very literal. Laz had pulled the fuse and we found the replacement at the marine store for $3. Went back to baji-naji, replaced the fuse and the Purasan worked properly! Went to find an ice cream at Johnny Sweets, which was mentioned in our coupons. Shared the Midnight Caramel Swirl, a Hershey's flavor which had dark chocolate ice cream and caramel plus vanilla. Yum. Bought a couple of donuts as well. Decided to walk to the Food Lion about 1.5 miles away for OJ. Should have rented/borrowed the bikes. Was a long walk there and back again. Got OJ and bread and some more Tillamook as well as more mayo and the chili sauce I forgot. Decided on a quick change and walk to Fisherman's Grill for dinner. Started outside but opted for in, as it was a little buggy for me. Crab bites (fried) to start. Really good seafood quesadilla for Laz and blackened shrimp and fried fish tacos for me. Generous portions, so took the cabbage/carrot mix with the cilantro lime topping and ate it mixed with the fish and shrimp. Take out dessert: an orange and a chocolate Smith Island cake slices made for the Smith Island Cake bakery in Crisfield. Walked back to the marina and saw a stunning sunset.  Chatted with the folks on Solitude, a 34 Catalina Mark ll, out of Deltaville. We had chatted when we first arrived. They were on a club cruise from Stingray Harbour Yacht  club when they had an issue with their hot water heater. They were headed back to Deltaville on Friday and planning a 0700 start to beat the high winds. 

Filled the aft water tank then off to bed. 

Friday June 18

Up at 0750, not a great night's sleep as the wind was howling. Put the coffee in a commuter mug, breakfast was yogurt and the donuts and off we went. Off the dock at 0850. Solitude left at 0700 as they said they would. Winds to 15 so we decided to reef 2. Just before the green off Janes Island light my Conch Charters hat blew off and I forgot to push the man overboard button. At the same time the main halyard was caught on the starboard spreader as the wind was blowing enough to raise the sail once the halyard was on. Got that sorted but by the time we turned around we could not find the hat. I thought I saw it then saw a long silver shape in the water dive under. It was 0935 by then. Search abandoned and we went on. Wind had switched to the SW and slowly moved to due S so we had to tack a few times to get below Tangier Island Light. We could then go due West for Great Wicomico. A lot of chop at times and a tiring sail. Glad we reefed 2. baji-naji handled the wind and waves well, although I was spooked at times. Made it to Ingram Bay Marina, up Towles Creek off the Great Wicomico around 3:45p. Tried to call, no answer. Had called on Thursday and they said to call when 10 min out. Met Elijah at the fuel dock and he helped us to a slip, second one in from the entrance. Went bow in because it was so windy. Had to use our 50 amp splitter. Got set up then walked out to say hello to Mary, who is the owner. Her husband Billy does fishing charters. There were a couple of chocolate labs running around when we first got there and Laz to to say hi to one of them. Pretty spot, we could see a nice marsh with osprey and black faced gulls. I was exhausted. Enjoyed guacamole, chips and salsa in the cockpit and then had Molly's quiche for dinner (salmon for me, sopressata, ramp and goat cheese for Dan) and the Smith Island cake for dessert. Showered off the salt then to bed around 10p

Saturday June 19th

Woke at 0750 and dozed again til 0850. Slow start, still a little tired from yesterday. Talked with our neighbors on Coyote, a Gulfstream. The older gentleman was nice enough to toss us the bow lines so we didn't have to get off again. I was able to back her up in a straight line, did not bump any pilings and did not need to fend. We were off the docks before 10am. Was supposed to have 10-15 with gusts to 20 from the S. We put one reef in the main and tried to sail out of Ingram Bay but wind was too soft. Decided to raise the main all the way and were able to sail out some from the mouth of the Great Wicomico, but ended up turning the engine on and motor sailing most of the way up. Ironic as we motored down to the Honga and we passed it motorsailing up the Bay. Called Zahnisers to let them know we would be in after 5pm. They were fine with that and said to check our email for slip assignment. We were on the E dock T with a 50 ft cat named Invia. There was an adorable sign which said "Reserved for baji-naji" on a piling to show us where to dock! Got in at 7p so we set the lines then went off to find the bicycles so we could go to the Pier for my favorite lobster roll. Unfortunately all the bikes were locked, however a nice woman from the Sail Solomons sailing school gave us a ride. They were having a picnic at the dock for "Sailstice" and she was just tidying up and headed home. We ate the same meal as on May 15th, Monterey Chicken sandwich for Laz and a lobster roll for me. Had the same waitress (Danielle) who was so nice last year to take our order 5 min from closing. Took some photos, pretty crazy what has transpired in the 13 months since we were there last. Got key lime pie to go and we walked back.  Pretty pooped but needed showers and then to bed. Glad to have a lay day tomorrow.

Sunday June 20 Father's Day

I slept in until nearly 10am! Went to the office to check in and found out they have a shuttle to Weis 3 times a day as well as courtesy bikes to borrow. Got the wifi to work there. Back to the boat for breakfast and coffee… no local coffee shop recommended, although later found out Lotus Kitchen had fancy coffees and breakfast when we went for a late lunch. Did our chores, Laz worked up the deck lights and stereo and I cleaned the cockpit teak (just the deck and the starboard seat) with teak cleaner, scrubbed it in and then rinsed. So much dirt came out! The brush was black and the water very brown as I hosed it all off.  Laz was mostly done at that point and I asked for his help in scrubbing the rest of the boat. Power washed all the toe rails and grime that gets in all the corners. Washed down the outside to get the salt spray off the windows, etc. Went to Lotus Kitchen for a late light lunch; southwest salad which was iceberg wedge, guac, corn and beans and tomatoes. Laz had a RB on baguette. Came back to finish clean up and ended up chatting with Stephan and Dorothee, from Germany, on Invia the 50 ft Outremer cat docked in front of us. Had a lovely chat, gave them some ideas of where to go in the northern Chesapeake. Dorothee gave me a tour of the boat, very nice master cabin with a head like ours on one hull, big shower etc. I gave her a tour of baji-naji in return.  Laz and Stephan were talking about rigging etc while we did 'house' tours. Came back aboard to finish cleaning up below. baji-naji looks terrific after her power wash and teak wash.

Off to Bugeye Grill for dinner. Weird name, but excellent food! Had the fried oysters and steak appetizer...tender juicy steak and perfect fried oysters. Entree for Laz was pork chops in a coffee and black pepper BBQ that was really tasty. I had the seafood fettuccine which had mussels, shrimp and lump crab in a tomato broth... really good but enough for 3 meals worth. I ate all the mussels and saved the rest for dinner when on the hook. Took home Smith Island cake, the traditional one of yellow cake and chocolate icing which we enjoyed on the deck with the new lights. 

Monday June 21

Quick breakfast aboard then off the dock by 0900 as we were heading back up to Hudson Creek. Put up sail in the Patuxent with the wind NE, sailed out to Drum Point, you can get very close. The wind softened but I could see more pressure on the port side so decided to motor to the wind. Glad we did as it picked up nicely from the NW. Sailed along a large cat, with a catspaw logo, ended up going below her so we could go the direction we need to. Later saw the spinnaker up, blue with a catspaw in the middle! Lovely sail across and up the Little Choptank. Had to tack a bit in the mouth but able to sail all the way to our favorite anchorage spot. Furled the jib after the duck blind, then dropped the main and anchored. Thunderstorms predicted and gusts to 20 so put out all 75' of chain and another 25 of line. Saw a water skier or two (the last one said "I don't like this!") Dinner was leftover seafood fettuccine with sauteed zucchini and Smith Island cake for dessert. Bugeye Grill has an excellent Smith Island cake. Beautiful spot as always. Used the new lights to read on deck… very nice. Watched lightning and clouds North. Pretty warm so had the generator on with cabin AC at 77 and bunk ac at 74.  Had not fallen asleep yet at MN and got up as I felt the wind howling and the boat moving more.  We were in the same position. Watched more lightning to the N and then went to bed. Generator was loud but not obnoxious. 

Tuesday June 22

Up at 0800, Laz up first and asked if he could get underway while I got up and did my morning ablutions. No wind and he was able to raise the anchor by himself and motored out of Hudson Creek. Weather was predicted to build to 15-20 with gusts of 25 and thunderstorms. We motored out and headed across with building wind and seas. Put up the dodger. We had our life vests on for sure. Wind was from the North and built to the promised 15-20 with gusts to 22 - 25. Rain started as we were ½ way across, so good to have the dodger and all the foul weather gear. At one point the jib started to come unfurled and Laz had to go up to the bow to try to put the sheets higher so we could tighten them and prevent further unfurling. Was a challenge as the bow was going up and down considerably in the choppy seas. Made it across safely to Herring Bay. Never really lost sight of landmarks and channel marks. At the beginning of the channel to Herrington Harbor South at 12:14pm when Laz called to see if it was safe for us to come in these winds, ie if we should anchor or go up to Herrington North to wait out the line of storms. Got the go ahead to come on in and we got tied into the first long dock on port by the beach and American flag. Did not plug in electric as we were hoping to move further in when there was a break in the action. Got into dry clothes, had lunch and some hot tea, then asked to move to our planned slip assignment which was along the pier in B. Walked up to the office to check in, went to the Chesapeake Bay Market across the street for milk, tortilla chips and a gallon of water and then came back to relax and have some snacks. I had a short nap, as maneuvering those seas and wind was pretty tiring. Showers then met Cate Christiansen, Dan's boss until she was maneuvered out just before our vacation, and her husband Jim McCarthy, who was a Navy submariner before now working at DHS as a data analyst solving white collar crimes. Great couple, yummy dinner at Ketch 22 as always. Temperature had dropped as the front had moved through. Came back to baji-naji to chat a while longer then they left as they had a hour drive home. In bed by 10:30p. Chilly night down to the 50s, so closed hatches and had no fan. 

Wednesday June 23

Lazy was up early then woke me at 0900 to go across the the Chesapeake Market for breakfast. Got bacon egg and cheese on a biscuit for me and sausage egg and cheese for Laz. Plus coffee. They had run out of the medium roast so I had dark roast. Put in too much decaf for sure. Or just really tired from the difficult crossing yesterday. The biscuit wasn't that good, so I didn't eat it all. Off the dock by 10:30. Had to spin her around with the bow thruster to leave the fairway. Plenty of wind from the East as we left the channel at Herrington Harbour South, around 9 kts. Put up main, unfurled the jib and had some excellent sailing all the way to Poplar Island. Laz called Raritan again to get email addresses to send pictures and perhaps video to continue to troubleshoot the system.  Wind died down after 2 lovely hours so we motored up past the Bay Bridge. Saw a NOAA ship before the bridge, very cool! Had hot lunch on a cool day, split the Italian Stallion from Chesapeake Market that I heated up in the oven. Sailed some after we went under the bridge then motored into the Chester River.  Saw a few pods of dolphin, jumping and tail slapping!  Between Queenstown Creek and Tilghman Creek. Watched them for quite a while. There seemed to be at least 3 separate pods. Motorboats zipping through the area slowed down thank goodness! Laz put the sighting on the Chesapeake Bay dolphin app. We then motored up the Chester and went into the Corsica, where we found a boat anchored in the first cove to the north and then several on moorings headed up Emory Creek. Decided to anchor in a cove off Cedar Point. Very lovely views of the sunset and moonrise. Just off a large house (221 Fourever Rd, Centerville,MD) with its own dock. Dinner was steak and gruyere that I had heated in the oven as we motored up the Corsica. Lemon Smith Island cake for dessert from Chesapeake Market.

Thursday June 24

Cool night down to the low 60s, but comfortable in the aft cabin with no fan and hatches open except the main cabin hatch. Up at 0815, made egg scramble with spinach, shredded cheddar and Fritzies chopped up. Served with Oso plain scone with raspberry jam and mandarin orange slices. And mocha coffee. Laz put up the code-0 while I made breakfast. Enjoyed the view while we had breakfast. Osprey in a nest nearby calling to each other, also heard eagles calling, and great blue heron flying around and over us.  Pulled up the anchor around 10:15 and motored up the river a bit to see the name of the boat I had taken moonlight photos of. She is Alegria, a Cabo Rico 38.  My Google skills tell me she was for sale in Annapolis in 2019, and no longer available, so someone has her. We raised the main and turned back to go downriver. Saw a bald eagle fly overhead. Beautiful views on all sides. Off of Ship Point, very close to our previous path, we ran aground. We were in 10' then suddenly 2'6" of water. The main was out and trying to dig us in deeper. Luckily the engine in full reverse and we were able to wiggle free of the mud. Uneventful going out the rest of the way. Unfurled the code-0 and sailed the rest of the way to Rock Hall. Beautiful sail, wind had the usual oscillation and shifts with the land, but mostly 6-10kts and just a lovely lovely sail. A moth came on board to rest on the starboard seat near the engine control. It allows me to have it climb into my finger to show Laz who was sailing from the port seat. I placed it gently down in what I thought was a protected spot and it decided to climb up onto the instrument panel. Unfortunately it did not make it all the way to Rock Hall Harbor. Sad. There was also a yellow butterfly circling us from about can 5 on but did not land. Furled the code-0 just before the red leading into Rock Hall Harbor.  Turned up to take down the main then made our way to Rock Hall Landing Marina, assigned slip C-17, stern in, port side tie. Got her into the slip no problem and had help tying her down and turning on the electric. Got bikes and another new hat, went to a new place Fresh Start and got a RB and provolone to share on a 6" hoagie roll. Picked up another lime, an avocado, some granola and some sesame sticks. Then rode down the street to Scoops and got some Kilby ice cream. I had chocolate with a little caramel sauce and peanuts and Laz had the Black Cherry.  Back to baji-naji and relaxing on the deck. Our neighbors in a large 75' motor yacht had a TV or something on, so we put on some classic rock on my SiriusXM app through the speakers at a reasonably low volume. Sounds great! Put some nicer clothes on and went to dinner at Waterman's. The fried oysters were delectable and the seafood gumbo was really delicious. I had the oysters and chicken salad, took home the chicken salad and most of the regular salad underneath it all. Chocolate pudding cake for dessert then a walk back to the boat. Sat out until the big arachnids came out to spin. 

Friday June 25 

Got up at 0845, had been reading late. Wanted to walk to Java Rock for coffee. Laz had been up but then snuggled back in and was sleepy. Decided to let him nap and set out. Long line at Java Rock, forgot it was Friday. Got a Mocha Mint Pattie, which was fine, but not minty enough. Next time I might stick with coffee. Got a loaded lox bagel with tomatoes, capers and cream cheese on an everything bagel. Ate ½ outside at a table. Got Laz a sausage egg and cheese on an English muffin. And a croissant for later… it is a round one made for sandwiches! Went into Sweet Cheeks next door to check it out. The customer before me was very chatty, it was her last day in town and she took a long time. There was a line by the time she was done. I got a peach turnover and an apple turnover as well as some nut clusters and a peanut butter chocolate rice krispie type bar. Walked back to Rock Hall Landing with my purchases. Stopped to talk to the owner of Six String (he's changing the name, left over from the previous owner, but yes he plays guitar too) and Nest Egg (great grandma age 72, 2nd husband is a retired NJ state cop and used his nest egg to buy the boat) before getting back to baji-naji. Gave Laz his breakfast, stowed the rest of the purchases and got ready to get underway. Wind was from the SW so needed to use the bow thruster to keep us on the port finger. Laz got all the lines up and we left the marina about 11:15 am.  Put up the main while heading to the main red, then motored all the way to green 3 before turning towards the North end of the Patapsco. Winds were very light to start, but kept the code-0 full. Oscillating from SW to S and back.  Between 3 and 4pm the winds picked up and we made much quicker progress. Built to 10, then even has spots of 12-13 kts. Sailed all the way into Worton Creek. Beautiful sail all day. Laz sailed the slower bits while I finished my book (Empress of the Bright Moon) and I was lucky enough to do the faster bits. We furled the code-0 after passing Handy Point then had to turn on the engine and drop the main. There was one sailboat sort of in the middle, closer to the south side and one motorboat in the north side. We were able to anchor in our favorite spot. Dinner was leftover chicken salad from Waterman's over a regular salad. I added more cucumber, carrots and tomatoes. We had finished our Baily's milk a few days back, but the organic milk we got at Chesapeake Market at Herrington Harbour South was pretty good. Dessert was Key lime pie leftover from the Pier (leftovers night!) and one of the nut clusters and ½ the chocolate rice krispie thing. Sat out to watch another spectacular sunset. Worton certainly gets their share of them!

Saturday June 26

Decided to make a nice breakfast since it's a short sail. Made French toast and bacon. There were only 4 sailboats overnight. Saw a nice breeze blowing and decided to raise sail and head out. Going to Georgetown with S-SE winds that would oscillate to the SW. Beautiful sail able to get all the way to Old Field Point with tacking. Furled the jib there and dropped the main. Got into Georgetown Yacht Basin around 3:30p. All female dockhand crew!. Slip assignment B16 off the H dock. Bow in as the electric was at the end of a full finger pier. Lovely great blue heron hunting grounds off our stern. Hot day, high 80s so put on AC. Had to fiddle with the water hose to get it to work. Went to the office to settle up, and then to the ice cream shop where I had coconut with chocolate drizzle and crushed Oreos. Laz had strawberry on a waffle cone with chocolate drizzle. Stopped at the marine store on our way back and got a 50 ft non kink hose and a couple of Velcro wraps for the hoses. Got showers and waited for Debra and Greg. Debra had said they were leaving their house around 3:30 so they could have arrived by 5:39. Turns out they left a bit later and arrived at the Kitty Knight House at 6pm. We walked up the hill to meet them and had a nice dinner. Drove to the marina then walked the docks to show them baji-naji. Forgot that Greg reads sci-fi and has read the Foreigner series, although he did not remember the term. They sat for a little while below, got the tour, used the head and then headed for home around 9:30p as they had a 2 hr drive home. Glad to have AC and the fans for the night. 

Sunday June 27

Up at 0830. Laz had the apple turnover for breakfast and I had the other half of my loaded lox bagel and coffee. Saw a blue crab swimming sideways in the water as we were getting ready to leave. Put up the main just outside the fuel dock.

Sailed back to HdG and unloaded after a delightful vacation.

Friday July 2

Power out at the house since 0630. Was meeting Alison at Oso for coffee/work so took my laptop to work. Power not back so Laz brought another monitor and his work set up. Until estimate of 3p revised to 11p for power so decided to head to the marina. Grilled pork chops and made a quick salad before packing up the cherry pie and milk, OJ, yogurt etc in case it was going to spoil. Picked up two subs at Nonni's for the weekend and got to baji-naji by 9:15 or so. Said hi to Mike who said he'd be back with the kids at 0730 on Sat am. Enjoyed a slice of cherry pie after loading on and making the master bunk up. To bed by 11p. 

Sat July 3

Heard Mike and the kids go out around 7:30 then fell back asleep. Had yogurt, blueberries and granola go me and ½ chorizo manchego scone for Laz. Headed out by 9:15am with wind from N NW. Able to sail out of HdG to the Bay and headed to Turkey Point on a broad reach, jibed then broad reach down towards Still Pond/Worton. Found and sailed with Kaimana and then headed in. T-storms due at 2p, wind dropped for a bit so Lee decided to motor. We stayed sailing as the wind did pick up for a little bit, but then also furled the jib to motor in. Saw rain all around us but did not get any. Kaimana was given the slip just before Beggar and she was settling in when we got back. After hugs and an introduction to Noe's friend Caitlin, we decided to walk to Bomboy's for chocolate/candy and ice cream. It started to pour while we were in line for ice cream so we ate inside then headed back. Lee and I went for a walk to talk and Jon hung out with Laz on baji-naji. Lee and I got a selfie with the water AND a 🌈!  Took a walk to the taqueria in town for dinner… food was really good. I ordered guac and empanadas to share, and had assorted small tacos. It closes at 8pm and we were the last ones there. Took a walk in town, kids sat in the bench outside Vintage Cafe that looks like ice cream cones and a sundae. Walked to Concord Point Coffee then back again on St. John St. to the murals. There were several more painted since our last visit. Lee took several photos. Back to Tidewater for a walk to the waterfront on the other side of the fairway from us then back to the boats. Someone had a mini fireworks show off the rock wall in front of the condos which Lee, Jon, Laz and I watched. We think the kids poked their heads out of Kaimana to see as we thought we heard Noe's voice cheer. Off to bed.

Sun July 4

Relaxed morning. Invited Lee aboard for coffee. Parade was at 2pm and the kids had gone off to the bookstore with magic cards they had seen the evening before. Walked out to the parade at 1:30pm and found a shaded spot, ironically just behind Mike and his friends and family. Good old fashioned parade with fire engines, marching bands, local services and of course the Shriners in their miniature vehicles, including a tow truck and a tanker! The fire companies and marching bands were from all over including Cecil County! Daniel got tired at one point so he and Jon headed back. Lee, Laz and I walked down the sidewalk to where the parade was coming from and found a shave ice truck along the way. Very welcome on a hot day! Saw the rest of the parade that way, then walked back on St. John. I took a short nap before the Tidewater BBQ at 5pm. Which was more interesting because the mayflies hatched!!! They were swarming everywhere! We found they did not like an area near the grill by the BaySail boats, so we dragged a picnic bench there to have our dinner. Laz and I had the knackwurst, Jon grilled burgers and Lee had watermelon, potato salad, guacamole that Gil made and chips. All in all very nice in an area free of mayflies. Fireworks at 9pm were wonderful...we sat at the same picnic table after clearing from dinner. Jeff Andrews said we didn't need to put the bench back as they would take care of everything the next day. Everyone was tired from the sun and heat so off to bed after fireworks.

Mon July 5th

Had considered going to Vintage Cafe for breakfast but they were closed. Beautiful day for a sail so we took baji-naji out in 7-10 kts. Kaimana caught up later and was motoring as they were trying to make Worton before the marina closed. We said our sailing good byes and then had a lovely day sail. 

Sat July 10

Picked up subs from Sam's then off. Went to Still Pond for the day/night. Not much wind, but it picked up in late afternoon. Had a big dragonfly ride along for a while on the horseshoe and some of the railing. Anchored on the "party" side near two other sailboats. Got out to swim around the boat a few times then hung out. Enjoy the rest of a Talula's shrimp risotto with extra shrimp and a salad for dinner.  Gorgeous sunset. Saw a raft of dinghies from the boats farther into Still Pond out in front of us watching the sunset together. Took a call from Oliver as it was their 4th anniversary...he was so sad and apologized.  Lovely day and evening.

Sun July 11

Headed back. ? Wind/weather (late entry for log)

Sat July 17

Did errands in town including dropping off lavender spray for Mara (Farm at Oxford) at WorKS, getting croissants from Oso (sharing one plain and one chocolate with Sandy at Sam's) and picked up Sam's to go. Hung out at the marina, as there were large storms all around and over us. Took photos of boats for sale and their brokers for Wheels. Went to get ice cream before the storm hit. Had a nice dinner of chicken over salad. 

Sun July 18

Nice breezy day from the NW...went for a day sail up towards the Elk. Turned around just past the Elk and had a lovely breeze shifted from the West for a delightful sail back. Able to sail all the way into HdG. Laz took pix of the joy on my face. 

Relatively early home (by 5p)

Sat/Sun July 24-25 in Northfield to visit the Kwaans.

Friday July 30

Able to finish work at 6pm and headed out by 7, picking up Reubens at Lenape Pizza on the way out. Got to baji-naji just after 8pm. Tina stopped by just after we'd loaded into the cockpit with her friend Colleen, who had come to the Brickette to see BTTW. They were heading to Still Pond then planned Georgetown for Sat night. They took off, with Johnny saying he wanted to go when it was light, but it was definitely dusk when they passed our bow. We went for a walk and ran into Jeff Cook and invited him back to sit and talk for a while. We compared safari pix… he was on the East part of S.Africa 2-3 years ago. 

Sat July 31

Meant to have an early start, but woke at 0900! Rigged the code-0 and we went off the dock before 10a. Put up the main as wind was from NE but so light we motored out. We were meeting Peter and Joan Cramer at Worton. 

Not much wind all the way out, then picked up a little when we were past Betterton. Peter texted when he was at Turkey Point and we could see them. Had a bit more wind past Still Pond, and some decent sailing into Worton. There were several sailboats there already! We picked a spot to anchor and set in, awaiting the raft up. Joan held up a line not attached to anything, but we had already prepped forward and aft lines and fenders. Gave both a tour or baji-naji, got a brief tour of AfterMath looking for the blue tortilla chips and wine that Joan wanted and settled into our cockpit for appetizers. Joan had brought a 7 layer dip from Carlinos and I had cheese and crackers and Thuringer.  By 7:30 we realized we should have dinner… I cooked up the seafood ravioli and sauteed asparagus and Joan brought out some chicken and a Caesar salad. Good feast, good conversation and great to catch up. Joan had been through endometrial cancer with hysterectomy and radiation, and seemed mellower than we recall from previous times. Peter is retired, although tinkering with maths. They seem to make each other laugh and have settled into their life together. It was full on dark when we split up the raft and sent them off to anchor.  We used our deck light and they found a spot they liked. Ran the generator 45 min or so to top off the batteries for overnight.

Sun Aug 1

Rainy morning, slept late, breakfast of scone and yogurt.  Peter texted to say they were taking off as a good weather window appeared. We cleaned up and got out as well. Good breeze and made good time from Worton to the yellow outside Aberdeen (~2 hours) Ugly looking sky over Havre and land so we decided to take down the sails and motor. Also started raining again. Rain cleared out. We saw that AfterMath never took her sails down, we unfurled the jib for the run into HdG. Lovely. Back relatively early. Heated up the Reuben sandwich from Lenape for lunch.  Headed home to watch the Olympics.

Fri Aug 6

Able to finish work by 5:30 (even after some time at Delacy reacquainting ourselves with a soccer ball) and left the house by 6pm. Brought the hair dryer so I was able to defrost the fridge and get rid of the large chunks of ice. Took a while.  Dinner of leftovers, buffalo chicken hand pie, pork chop and baked potato from Brandywine and roast beast hoagie from Landhope. Milanos for dessert.

Sat Aug 7

Slept in til 0900

Not much breeze in the am. Lots of bird poop so we decided to scrub the deck and wash it down a bit before getting underway. Used the boat eraser in the cockpit too...always looks so nice cleaned up. Motored all the way past Turkey Point as there was no wind, but it started a little then built as we were out. We were heading to Knight Island/Back Creek off the Sassafras so did not have too far to go. Able to sail into the wide mouth of the Sassafras and in towards the red. Sailed all the way in, getting quite close to a pretty dark hulled yawl. Laz yelled something about broadsides but they looked confused. Considered checking out Turner Creek but it was low tide and the entrance is supposed to be a bit tricky. Went a little farther than Back Creek to check out other potential anchorages as there were multiple boats in our usual spot (although most were motorboats and I suspected would leave). There are a couple of nice spots further up but quite open to river traffic. We went back to our usual spot near the but in Back Creek. At one point the wheels turned hard one way then another. Happened again so we decided to move over a few feet. Depth gauge said we had enough but who knows if there was a rock, a hillock or a fish there. We were fine once we changed anchorages. The motorboat near the jetty had another small boat raft up and had music and teens jumping in the water and swimming. We decided to put Classic Rock on the stereo for us to enjoy. I brought out appetizers of chips and salsa as well as peanuts, sesame sticks and pretzels. Low battery alarm beeped at some point, so we ran the generator for an hour, more or less. 

Gentle rain during the evening and dinner time, so the dodger was up. Dinner was Talula's farm salad with extra chicken and extra romaine accompanied by a baguette stuffed with spinach and feta. Some spice in there with some red pepper flakes.  Went below after dinner to get out of the rain...did not get much of a sunset due to the rain clouds. Low battery alarm beeped while we were reading.  Ran generator for an hour 9:30p to 10:30p. Not sure what was drawing so much. Thought about the fridge since totally thawed, or the Purasan. Don't if it is that or the batteries not holding charge as long, but they are only a couple of years old.  Beeped again at 0430 so Laz got up to run the generator another 30 min or so. 

Sun Aug 8

Finally fell asleep after all the fuss and slept til 0900. Low batt alarm went off again just after I woke up and Laz turned off the fridge which made the alarm stop. He tried to check the current from the light/sound bar but had the wrong meter. We saw lots of swallows on the rigging and some on the wind vane. Made french toast with a mini omelet and one piece of bacon. Ran the generator while we had breakfast in the cockpit.  Raised the main to put tell tales on the mainsail and checked the battery manager which seemed to show when the battery was full as the yellow/orange light stopped blinking and the generator didn't sound as if it was working so hard. The little meter on the cigarette lighter said 13.5 which drifted down to 13.1 or 13.3 and stayed there. After I made lunch the fridge kicked on and the meter read 12.8,

Pulled up anchor around 11am.  We motored out to Turners Creek with a little motor sailing as the wind was about 5-6 from all over the place. We tried to motor into Turner's with the directions from the books, but ran aground twice so backed out and gave up. Wind was directly on our nose leaving Turner's so we motored out to the red then were able to sail out from there. Light breeze, quite shifty, but able to get across to Aberdeen before tacking. Wind had shifted enough new were going back the way we came at some points. Tacked again after lunch.

Late lunch (2:30p ish) was Talula's seasoned chicken breast made into chicken salad with gherkins, cucumbers, mayo, Talula's ranch dressing, a little Bonfire smoked sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. All in a wrap. Didn't quite fit but we managed. Wind really went away after we were trying to cross to the main channel marker by Turkey Point so we had to motor. Wind picked up a little and we were able to sail in the channel to HdG.

Friday Aug 13

Got a Reuben from Lenape as well as lunch subs for the weekend and headed to the marina after work ~7pm. 

Sat Aug 14

Chuck was supposed to deliver the jib and trampoline for Sonja ~ 9am but did not arrive til 1p. Laura washed down baji-naji with boat soap and water to clear a lot of spider webbing and bird poop. Laz looked into the water filter but did not install. He brought Sonja from the other side and we washed down her hulls after finishing with baji-naji. The jib just had the leech redone in a double layer more UV protected red, but made it look brand new. Trampoline had aft and one of the side edges re-stitched and reinforced. We laced up the trampoline, moved the jib halyard and furler higher but then found it too short to connect when we stepped the mast. Decided to replace the top small connector with a ring and shackle for the right length and then was able to step the mast. We went for a short sail afterwards as we had 7:30p reservations at Wellwood. Sonja sailed beautifully. Max speed 11.5 with average 5.3 over 1 hr 15 min. Lovely welcome back to Sonja. Wellwood had a live band that was playing INXS when we walked up. We were seated inside. Appetizer was outstanding: fried asparagus with a chipotle dipping sauce.  Meal was very good. Dan had swordfish and I had fettuccine with fresh basil and tomatoes with shrimp and feta. Enough for 3 meals so definitely a take home. Dessert was the pineapple coconut Rita's cake and Laz had a delicious chocolate mousse cake. Brought home part of the Rita's and also a banana walnut Smith Island cake.

Took a walk after dinner at the marina and hung out with Johnny for a while. Tina and her GF were at Wellwood! They couldn't get in so ate at the crab shack there. Saw the interior of the Byng, lots of wood and classically beautiful.

Headed back to baji-naji for a good night's sleep.

Sun August 15

Decent wind out of the NE and Whitewalls at UnWined at 4pm so we took Sonja out. Sailed out the channel then across the flats towards Turkey Point. Went pretty fast with max ~11.3kts as per Strava. Went all the way into Cara Cove (always wanted to do that) Wind slowed coming back from Carpenter Point to the point where we took a tow from the Byng who was out by the swimming hole! Wind picked up again before the barge so we let go the tow rope and off we went again. Average 4 kts with almost 6 hours of sail time. Glad I packed lots of water.

Back around 4pm, cleaned up, loaded out and headed to UnWined at the Triton Marina off the Elk. The Elk is shallow, so we went by car. Always good to dance/see/hang out with the Whitewalls! Dom had a breakthrough infection so was pretty beat. It was the 4th gig of the weekend for Lena and Dave so they were also a bit tired.

Sat August 21

Worked til 11pm Friday night finishing a lecture due Monday so did not leave home til after 10a. Stopped at Sam's for subs then off. Said hi to Johnny and Tina on our drive over. Loaded on, looked at the weather and decided to sail to Still Pond. Left around noon. Lovely E-NE at the start so able to sail out most of the channel. Turned into due E and then the usual oscillation to E- SE breeze with 5 to 8 or 9. Steady sailing once out into the Chesapeake. Laura took a nice nap on the beam reach as she has been under the weather a couple of days. Got to Still Pond by 4-4:30 and took a swim around. baji-naji does list to port. Her waterline is pretty scummy too, but did not have the energy to scrub. Read and relaxed on deck. Made random quiche slices for dinner… turns out one was asparagus mushroom goat cheese and the other spinach red pepper goat cheese. Met our neighbors on Verissimo when they motored by on their dinghy as her home port was listed as Jamestown, RI. Beautiful 50ft J with boom furling main (not recommended by the Dad, but what she came with when he bought her). They keep her at Georgetown Yacht Basin as her draft is 9ft. They have a corgi that they took swimming up Still Pond Creek. They usually sail up to LI Sound as it's deep enough there for Verissimo. 

Dessert of Tess's croissant bread pudding and strawberries and an early night. Ran the generator an hour so the orange light went from blinking to solid but did not turn to green. Planned rain overnight so put up the dodger. Too hot to sleep as it was still, so put the AC on with the generator.

Sun August 22

Rainy morning. Up before 0800. Made bacon eggs and French toast topped with strawberries. Waited for the storm to clear past so read, chilled out on the deck then headed out around 11am. There was good wind until about 2pm then motored in from the yellow off Aberdeen.

Sat Aug 28

Did not get out Fri. Slept in. Was a busy week with JT/JB concert at BB&T. Stopped at Oso for croissant and coffee then at Sam's for sandwiches. Got out close to 1pm but there was decent NE wind. Went to Still Pond again, the North Shore. We were alone when we anchored around 4pm but 3 other sailboats and a motor boat came in after us. Had Italian sausage ravioli with grape tomatoes and zucchini for dinner. Expected wind overnight so had let out to 70ft of chain. 

Sun Aug 29

Croissant and hard boiled eggs while motoring out of Still Pond. Good wind from N- NW. Could not use code-0 so had the jib out. Spent time getting heme consult for Mom L from Dad. Barb post op day 1. Gorgeous sailing with Laz at helm while I did consults etc. 

Had to motor up the channel. Stopped at Bomboy's for a waffle cone dipped in dark Bomboy's chocolate with choc chip ice cream. Could be even better with the Chocolate Madness. Laz had a peach milkshake.  Dinner from Red Sombrero!

Friday Sept 3

PTO day! Spent 3 hrs at breakfast with Ann Powers then had to finish Tori's queue and settle some of the slides for EPM did not turn off the computer til nearly 6pm. Packed ASAP and then to the marina. Got Nonnie's chix caesar salad wrap with fries for dinner. Tried for early to bed but got caught doing the Spelling Bee on NYT. 

Cool night (down to the 50s by early morning so had the nice silk comforter!)

Sat Sept 4th. 

Laz up at 0745. I tried to go back to sleep. No luck. Made coffee and served up banana chocolate chip walnut bread and my yogurt and we were out of the marina by 0840. Had some wind 5-7, so put up the main, but a full barge was coming out so we decided to motor out of the channel to keep out of its way.  Very light winds to none. Had the code-0 out for a hot second twice but could not sail long. Headed to the Magothy so did not want to dawdle.

Wind picked up outside the Patapsco. Met up with Kaimana who was motoring out and convinced Lee to sail jib only. Sailed all the way into the Magothy and up a bit before sailing into Eagle Cove. Kaimana had anchored already so we dropped the main and on second pass rafted. Lovely appetizers in our cockpit which turned into dinner as there was enough cheese/crackers, foccacia and dip, salsa and chips and carrots and hummus for a meal. Flour & Oats cookies for dessert then off to bed at 10pm. 

Sun Sept 5

Jazz brunch! Rampal/Bolling suite on the speakers, French toast and bacon from us and eggs with cheese and Foxtrot spice from the B-Ds as well as fruit and Morningstar veggie sausage which was not bad!

Said our goodbyes by 11 ish and set off for Worton. Not much wind and started to drizzle. Not enough for the dodger but enough to put a coat on.

Monday Sept 6

Light breeze to start but turned into a lovely sail back. Had to motor a bit, then able to sail the channel in as it built to 10-12. A bit tricky getting into the slip due to brisk W-NW breeze but didn't hit anything. Always a bonus. Was back in at 3p. Decided to defrost the fridge completely so packed up all the cold stuff to bring home. Fridge had thick ice ½ way up the cold plate with rest melted when on the lowest setting each time we left. Headed to West Marine at 4p so Laura could try on the size L foul weather pants which fit much better than XL. 

Home by 6pm.

Friday Sept 10. 

Had hoped to be done with work by 4 but closer to 5pm. Had to stop at Volvo to get Laz's sunglasses. Got Freddie burgers , O rings and shoestring fries to go. Got to baji-naji by 7p. Off the docks by 7:30pm and motored all the way to Still Pond. Gorgeous crescent moon which set on top of Baltimore. Spotted a barge in the channel in full darkness on the way into HdG. Spotted another barge OUT of the channel to our starboard off Aberdeen/Spesutie!?! Had its searchlight on intermittently. No idea why it was taking the shortcut outside the channel but it was startling to see it well out of the channel. Since there were no barges in the channel, we drove straight up it to Still Pond. Once we turned in, Laz went to the bow with the headlamp to spot for crab pots. Managed to avoid all on our way in. Anchored on the South side in the middle with no trouble at 10:15pm. Sat out for a short bit to look at the stars and Jupiter. 

Sat Sept 11

Got up at 0730 and got underway by 745. We were closer to the sailboat further into the cove than it appeared at night, but still plenty far. Motored to Worton Point, put sails up and had gentle breeze 3-4 with nice sail. Wind dropped 11-12;30 then picked up as promised. Had a great run all the way to the Magothy then back into Rock Hall. Picked up to 10-12, lovely!!. Saw a Coast Guard buoy tender as well as a ginormous Navy ship, maybe a tender, doing laps from Baltimore to Chester and back to Baltimore. Who knows why?

Sailed to Green 3 outside Rock Hall. Decided to furl the jib just before the red into the basin. Turned the engine on, spun her into the wind to drop the main. Was blowing more with a lot of chop. After we turned back and headed into the channel the engine alarm was screaming that it was overheating to 237°!  Dropped to idle. Captain of Island Girl asked if we had an issue as we were coming in… told him we were overheating and he suggested we follow him in the middle channel to RHL. Kept at forward idle. Managed to get in the slip on C dock, stern in using bow thruster and gentle reverse. Did have dock hands to help, although they didn't guide her in as well as we would have liked. Had help from our neighbor, Linda, off her Sea Ray next to us, who grabbed the port stern line I dug out and cleated to the dock cleat catty corner help keep her back. 

Got in safely at 3:30pm. Opened the engine compartment and saw the coolant overflow tank completely empty. Went to the office to check in and they sent us to the Rock Hall Marine Railway which is a marine parts store. Got orange coolant choice was orange or blue, and headed back to baji-naji. Filled the coolant overflow tank and figured out where the seacock is for the engine. More or less accessible from the panel in the shower. Had to use the access panel from our bunk to find it and for the first time turned off seacock from there.  Took off the impeller housing and found a ring with all blades off. Found 4 whole blades and 2 ½ blades that fit together. Put in new impeller with glycerin per instructions on Volvo box along with new paper gasket. Put plate back and did not lose any screws! Seacock back in line and no leaks! Quick showers as John and Ann Caggiano were due to show up in 20 min at 5:15!. Got to show them baji-naji and then enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Waterman's. Lots of laughs and stories.  Was able to thank the Captain of Island Girl for his concern and leading us in and also let him know what happened. He thought it would be worthwhile to look for the other pieces of the impeller.

I wanted to do it after dinner, but realized it was late and I was tired.

NB 331 engine hours when we changed the impeller. Should absolutely change every year! Plus it's not hard once you find the seacock.

Sun Sept 12

Howling winds all night and kept up with tinking on the mast. At 0230 Laz went up to tie off the  lazy jack line which was hitting the mast due to the angle of the wind while we were at dock. Up at 0745 early again as I wanted to check the lower hose for impeller bits. Took it all apart again… did not get seacock closed all the way so a little leak. Did not find parts, pulled off lower hose and upper hose. Could not remove the old impeller... really packed in. Which is fine. Called Skip for a consult and texted photos. He confirmed our plan to try the engine at 1500 and see if temp went up >200°F. Laz found the temp 'gauge' on our Raymarine display! After ½ hr at 1500, temp did not go above 200°. We decided to go for it and left the dock at 10:30. Lots of wind and chop like when we came in, and we'd have to beat out, so decided to motor to Green 3 before raising the sail. Wind was 15+ from S-SW with some gusts to 20. Great sail back, back in dock at Tidewater at 5:30p. Battery alarm yelling around 4:30p. Turned off fridge and unplugged CPAP and turned off fans. Batteries are not holding their charge.

Stopped to chat with Steve and found out that Tidewater is a Volvo dealer so we can get more parts. Stopped to chat with Johnny on the Byng to tell our story. Went to Bomboy's for dark chocolate covered waffle cones, mine with chocolate Madness and Laz had Raspberry Truffle and Chocolate Madness in his.

Home by 8p, leftover Mod Pizza, NFL Primetime with Chris Berman and the Da Bears on Sun Night Football! 

Sat Sept 18

Awesome day sail on Sonja. Great wind and was on the trapeze most of the circuit. Out 4hrs.

Dinner at MacGregor's… really good crab dip and seafood flatbread with salads.

Sun Sept 19

Great first bit of sailing ok Sonja but wind died as we were at the farthest point by Aberdeen. Paddled much of the way back. Tons of spotted lantern flies in the water! Got a little breeze after Carpenter Point then had to paddle more. Some breeze by the barges to take us all the way in. Total trip time 6 hrs 45 min. Tired!

Picked up Nonnie's pizza for the first time, sausage and mushroom, and it was delicious!

Sat Oct 2

Slept in… 10 hours! Went down to the marina after dropping off my Bertolucci to be fixed and picking up subs at Sam's. Out by 1pm with a gentle breeze. Headed to Still Pond. 

Got in around 6pm. Had started dinner on our way in… steak and gruyere from Nomadic Pies. Yum.

Sun Oct 3

Lazed about until 11-ish, then headed back. Code-0 on a broad reach, jibing twice. Wind died off Turkey Point, motored to the Battery, then sailed again up the channel. In around 5p. Spent an hour chatting with Fitz about his trip around Delmarva. Nonnie's pizza again for dinner.

Friday October 8

To baji-naji by 8p. Had Talula's Southwestern chicken salad for dinner with a fresh fruit tart for dessert. Finished reading Pamela Clare's Take Me Higher, her book about Mitch and Megs. Really good. To bed just after MN.

Sat October 9

Up at 0845, bacon cheddar scone from Talula's plus yogurt for breakfast. East wind. Out by 0945. Steady 10+ knots E then ENE. Got to Worton in 3 ½ hours. Dropped anchor at 1:30pm. Was lovely out, changed into shorts and a top that could get wet and washed down the boat. It was so dirty with spider poop!

Hot showers after hot honey and relaxed in the cockpit. Took a short nap. 

Jambalaya pot pie for dinner... delicious!

Sun Oct 10

Whee! Drenched! Wind! Foul weather gear!

Thursday Oct 14

To the boat by 7p

Friday Oct 15

Off the dock by 0750 headed to Annapolis for the Boat show. Motored til even with Rock Hall when the wind finally picked up.  Headed towards the Magothy for a bit then tacked back out.  Got a call from Mary Smith so I spent a lovely catch up with Laz at the helm.  Decided at 2pm to motor to the bridge and see which way the wind was blowing after we got under it.  Perfect due south wind, so we sailed into Annapolis, great sail in.  Managed to find a spot with minimal traffic for a few moments, so able to furl jib and drop the main before finding our way to AMCYC.  Got a little mixed up, so was at Eastport YC initially, got directions from someone on her boat. Narrow opening with a hard 90 degree turn into our fairway, also narrow maybe just over 40 ft.  Our assigned slip, 48, was the second slip from the end on our starboard.  There was a very firm bulkhead right next to the first slip, so there was a bit of bow thruster, backwards and forwards and slowing down our momentum to back her in.  The folks on the motor boat in the first slip were kind enough to take the stern lines and help tie us down.  The slip was a bit narrow, so I had to fend a starboard piling getting in, but basically it was all good.  It was about 4pm when all tucked in and decided to pop over to the boat show. Took the water taxi from the Chart House and got in around 5p with the show ending at 6:30p. We walked around and saw Raritan, but the guy was trying to leave early.  We bought a new mat with Dufour logo and baji-naji on it from Welcome Aboard, the same company that made the mat she had originally. We walked around and saw Raritan, but the guy was trying to leave early. Sussed out where we might want to spend more time on Saturday as well as made an appointment for 10:20am on Sat at Dufour. 

Had fun saying hi to Todd and Tammy at Sailtime at closing time, hung out and talked to some of their folk before leaving around 7p.  Walked back to Eastport and thought we might try dinner at Davis’ Pub  but it was an hour wait for a table and they were so busy they couldn’t do take out.  Went back to baji-naji and made Whole Foods’ broccoli and cheddar soup with open faced turkey spinach and provolone sandwiches. Delicious!  Will have to get that soup again.  Dessert was the mango cheesecake from Talula’s. Good cheesecake but not very mango-y

Saturday Oct 16:

Boat Show Day!

Sunday Oct 17: 

Out of the slip at around 0900. Predicted 18-25 with gusts to 30 from the NW. Had hard boiled eggs and croissants for breakfast and got out of the tight slip at AMCYC with bow thruster and reverse (very narrow fairway). Managed the tight turn out of that fairway to entrance to the river.  We’d reefed one in prep, took a look at the wind gusts to 20 and decided to reef two.  Reefed the jib as well to 2 and off we went!  Barge and large Evergreen container ship took right of way under the bridge; we crossed on the left hand span closer to Annapolis and let them get in front of us.  As texted by Steven, winds kicked up after going under the bridge with gusts 22-25. Kept mostly to the Western shore to try to cut down on the waves.  Wind hit 30+ in the middle of Baltimore Harbor. baji-naji handled it well. Dan was at the helm at that point, he handled it well too.  Got to Poole’s in 3 hours.  Lots of spray and water washing over the bow at times. Glad we both had foul weathers on. Laz wore his new Boat show Bibs! Waves definitely improved with Poole’s blocking, so able to get a small break and have lunch.  Italian subs from Sams. Ate separately so both hands could be on the wheel at all times.  Amazing that the wind dropped just a bit after Pooles, though still gusting to 25 at times. Crazy when wind of 20-21 feels calm.  Able to sail past the yellow at Spesutie, turned the corner pointing up and with wind shifts able to sail all the way to the green at Aberdeen.  Motored to the second red in the channel, then able to fall off and sail the rest of the way in.  At dock at just after 4pm.  Brought her in (Steven helped toss me stern lines), tied her well and jumped in the car at 4:35 to go to Bomboy’s since they close at 5pm. Came back to hose down the salt spray and pack up to go home. 

Sat Oct 30

Late morning due to late work night on Friday. Slept in til 10;30 am. Laura's weekend on call so brought the work computer. At marina by 2pm. Headed to Still Pond. Wind from the S-SW about 5-10 kts. Lovely sail, sun low on the water, beautiful! Saw Mare Calmo with gennaker coming back downwind, but there was a huge outgoing current of 1.5 kts, good for us, less good for him. Chilly night in the 50s. Enjoyed cheese and crackers and Nomadic's jambalaya pot pie. Beautiful sky coming into Still Pond.

Sun Oct 31 Halloween 🎃

Asparagus and parm/romano scrambled eggs with English muffins and raspberry jam. The oven works great to toast up the English muffins. Headed out by 10am as we wanted to be home for the trick or treaters. Great breeze from NW and we were cruising along at 5-6 kts even against the current. Wore our foul weather but not much splash, just some drizzle of rain now and again. Laura didn't have sun glasses so just as well it was overcast. Made it back to the marina by 2:30pm and had time to get ice cream at Bomboy's and then head home. 

Friday Nov 5

37° out and the main cabin heater won't switch to heat. Aft cabin works though. Had to open the water feed to ac again to get the pump to push water