2022 Log
Total 1364 nm.
April 1 Friday - in the water!
Sat April 2, cleaning, water tank flush and shock. Put jib on. Home to 809 as very cold
Sun Apr 3. Drained some of the water tank and refilled.
Sat April 9/ Sun the 10th put on canvas and main sail.
Sat April 16 switched fuel sensor from Fuel 1 to Fuel 2.
Sun April 17, pump out to flush antifreeze from head. Day sail, great initial wind then died, sat and read, no one on the Boat…like glass, then wind picked up and we sailed all the way back
Sat April 23
Laz and Peter Cramer out. Chilly.
Mon April 25
Jacqui aboard! Good wind from the East. Not too chilly, up to 7kts boat speed.
Sat. April 30
Off the dock by 11a. Alleged NW wind became SW-S-SE. Light 3-6 kts to start and built to 10-13 kts. Headed for Still Pond. No one anchored except deep in. Dropped anchor around 4pm.
Engine hours after anchoring: 361.3
Sun May 1
May 7-8…Rainy 5/7, cold 51°high on 5/8 with wind 15+ but too cold, did not go.
Fri May 13
Headed to Tidewater by 5:30. Load in then a chat with Fitz who is now in the water. Headed over to Coakley's to hear Little Sister and have dinner. Had a good steak stroganoff and Laz had a crispy chicken thing. Stayed through the last set which ended at 11p. There was a Tom Petty cover band which let out around 10, then more folks came over. Met a Corgi, Chloe, who goes to many of Little Sister's gigs and a rescue, Heidi, very soft black dog whose mama is a nurse practitioner who finished working at Wilmington VA that day and is starting at Perry Point VA.
Sat May 14
Overcast but not yet raining. Quick breakfast of scones and yogurt and headed out. Had decent wind from the East so sailed out the channel helped by tide rip of >1 NM. Got out to the yellow then realized the rain would be upon us before getting to Worton if we didn't motor. Engine on then dropped anchor just after the drizzle started, around 2:30. Laz dropped anchor this time, nicely done. Read on the deck until the drizzle was too much. Laz went for a nap in our cabin and after ½ hour or so I joined him. Dinner was a lovely bacon cheddar stuffed chicken from Talula's, although it seemed to be more cream cheese and herbs. Panko crusted and crisped up nicely. Carrots and almonds and honey and I made haricot vert to accompany. Dessert was my wonderful birthday cake from Oso. Chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream frosting, strawberry jam filling and chocolate ganache overtop. Very full. Went to bed by 10:30 or so. Turned out the light well before 11.
Sun May 15
No wind overnight, very still. Oso quiche for breakfast with a tangerine and coffee. Not much breeze but coming from the W to start then SW and slowly shifted due S. Had the code-0 out and lovely downwind tacking. Learned how to use the autopilot with wind angle. Had the engine on at yellow L, barely any wind and not enough to carry us with the outgoing tide. When we turned at the Aberdeen Yellow (there was a great blue heron on it, not even disturbed by us, kept preening) we were able to sail all the way home. Wing for much of the channel past the spoil islands.
Fri May 20
Picked up Old South Smokehouse take out on our way to Tidewater. Got 2 pieces of BBQ chicken and a full rack and that was enough for a family of four!!! BBQ chicken was moist and flavorful. Will have to get that again!
Sat May 21
Headed out by 9:30am. Decided to go to Worton again even though the wind was SW. Great breeze though 8-10 mostly and tacked all the way. 6 other boats anchored when we got there after 4pm but 1 left when we showed up and 1 more came in. Beautiful evening, watched the bald eagle circling and mixing it up with the turkey vultures. Had the Rana prosciutto and cheese tortellini with Rao's Bolognese sauce. Yum!
Sun May 22
Code 0 home with just a few jibes. Great wind!
Fri May 27
Pouring rain. Didn't finish work til very late, at Tidewater by 10:30p, loaded on in the rain. Cozy below. Had a nice cup of chamomile using our new kettle. To bed late, after MN
Sat May 28
Up at 0800…sunny, breezy lovely!! Out before 0900, W -WSW wind so sailed out the channel like a boss aka 6.5+ and then all the way to almost Poole's Island on one tack. Wind softened to less than 5 so we furled the jib and motored to the green by Poole's Island light. Sailed the rest of the way until we got to the channel for Kent Narrows. Glorious sailing day! Furled the jib and took down the main before getting into the channel. Shoaling was marked but it did get below 6ft in places. Had talked to Safe Harbor Narrows Point and our slip assignment P398. Kept close to the slips, even then parts of the fairway were 4'7 or 4'8 on the gauge. This was an hour before high tide. Backed in, starboard tie, only used the bow thruster gently twice and had the dock master and a dock hand help with aft ties. Laz did the bow ties to the pilings. Narrow slip but made it work. Did not tap any pilings on the way in.
The entertainment started just after we hooked up the electric. Catamaran coming in across the pier having all kinds of trouble backing in. Dinghy on back davits got stuck on a piling, etc. Nico, the dock master came back to help them. Just as they were more or less tucked in a sloop, Artemis, came in having all kinds of trouble trying to back in with their dinghy towed behind them. Finally someone got a clue and pulled the dinghy around to the bow and pulled it on deck. A few tries later, I can't even describe how it happened, finally got them in and safe. Crazy. Talked to the Dad from Artemis later and they anchored off Hart Miller last night; no rain there. Went to check in at the office and then walked across to the Red Eye Dock Bar. A singer songwriter Katelyn Christine was playing, the live music encouraged me to explore. On the way out met the bass player from Lovelace and then the rest of the band as they were going to load in. Walked over to check out Dessert First then Harris Crab House. Came back to baji-naji for a bit. Dan put the spare anchor chain in the yellow dry bag and in a locker under the Vberth. Decided to go to Harris's for dinner when I saw they had fried oysters. Put on nice tops and away we went. Yum! The oysters were sweet and juicy! Had shrimp BLT wraps for dinner which were great. Chips not so much. Took home ½ my wrap and went to Dessert First for dessert. Delicious fresh strawberry tart and an incredible Black Forest tart with lots of sour cherries and a rich dark chocolate ganache.
Relaxed and read on the boat, adjusted our lines, talked to the Dad from Artemis and then came back. The cockpit lights are wonderful!
And at about 10:30pm Laura walked across the hatch cover over the AC sea strainer and it (and she) fell into the hole. Apparently the reinforcements holding the cover in place rotted in place in the damp of that locker and gave way. Lucky this didn't happen under way with wake or heeling and Laura was not hurt. It was a good way to find out the issue. We put one of the hatch covers from the V over it and had to think on how to fix in the am.
Sun May 29
Slept in after the excitement of the night. Took our showers as we were meeting Traci (Teal) and Scott (Zeller) for brunch. They picked us up around 11a and we went to Ramshead. We had been there before when Scott gave us the PRS tour. I had the Annapolis Benny…had crabmeat. Dan and Scott had the corned beef hash. The biscuit was excellent. After brunch Scott drove us to the hardware store for parts to patch the hole for sailing. Got a cross cut hand saw, plywood and a furring strip. Went back to baji-naji to give Scott and Traci a tour and hung out in the cockpit a while before they took off and we had to effect our repairs before leaving. The plywood with strips underneath was a nice tight fit and we left around 4:15p, an hour before high tide. Managed to make it out the slide and the shallow fairways, but somehow lost a bow line. Must have slipped underwater when I asked Laz for help with a stern line. Weird. We could see the current running strongly, got into the channel with no trouble and then navigated the channel out. So many motor boats coming in! Lots of wake. Everyone was good in the channel but once out full speed in or out! Wind angle was right for the code 0 so we did that for a while, but not much breeze. Finally furled it at 6pm as we still had a ways to go. Motored the rest of the way to the Magothy. Had 2 large barges cross ahead of us from port to starboard, one approaching from port that we crossed the channel just ahead of, and one approaching from starboard. Quite the barge rush hour!
Put the steak and gruyere pot pie in the oven once in the Magothy, made our way to Dobbin Island then turned into the wind and dropped the main. Found a nice anchorage spot in Eagle Cove that had been vacated by motor boats and dropped anchor. Tried a different spot first between 2 sailboats but it didn't catch with 30ft down. Tried 40ft if chain next and that caught (we are in 9.5 ft) Gorgeous sunset, one boy paddle boarding with 3 little ones sitting in front of him. Looks like more horses at the farm. Lovely day!
Mon May 30
Laz woke earlier as is his habit. I woke at 0830 and after brief ablutions told him it was OK to raise anchor and get underway. Which he did. Motored out the Magothy and found a nice SSE breeze when we got out. Put up sail by Baltimore light and unfurled the code 0. A little jibe tacking in order to make speed and have a favorable wind angle ~90-120° and we sailed all the way back to Tidewater with NO engine needed! Wind shifted to SW then WSW then settled SW. Anchor up at 0900, arrived at 1900 or thereabouts. Gorgeous day, gorgeous sail, at one point on wing for a long stretch coming up to Yellow L with no wake and smooth sailing. Could not have asked for a better day. Spinach and ricotta ravioli (Rana) with Raos Bolognese, flatbread and dip for dinner when back in our slip. I made dinner while Laz stowed the code-0. Cleared out linens and neatened up for the cleaning crew plus Garret's crew to fix the access cover. Home by 10:30p.
Summer vacation 2020:
Sat June 4
Did not make it down Friday night, was too disorganized post colonoscopy sleep deprivation and propofol. Organized enough to leave by 0930. Departure delayed by the discovery of Mikey's demise some time ago. He had decomposed to some bones and carapace 😢.
We fished out his remains and then set off.
Got to Tidewater, stowed the provisions and clothes and then walked up to the Opera House to see Chris Ward and his band Felix Pastorius and the Hipster Assassins teach a master class workshop. 3 local students, guitar, sax and bass participated. It was pretty cool. Walked the open air market, bought some macarons from Les Petit Besous (they were ok not wonderful), grabbed a burger to split from Mackenzie's food truck, filled the water tank, topped off the fuel (10 engine hours =10.6 gallons of diesel) and set off at 3:30p. SSW wind so motored out the channel (main up, of course) then we were able to sail out to Turkey Point, with a shift went across the channel then tacked our way to Worton Point. Got into the cove, took down the sails and dropped anchor by 7:30p. Talula's chicken Caesar salad for dinner with a cheddar baguette. Added some of the extra chicken breast. Yum! Orange creamsicle macaron from Talula's and split a chocolate raspberry Flour and Oats cookie for dessert.
Lovely anchorage and sunset! 6 others on our side 3 on the other. One on our side pulled anchor up and left before sunset was over.
Sun June 5
Wind shifted from SSW to N overnight then NNE. Got up at 0730, yogurt, fruit and granola for breakfast. Pulled up anchor by 0830 and off we went. Wind shifted to the E as we came out of Worton into the main channel so we jibed after getting near Poole's then one tack all the rest of the way. Brief wing to avoid entanglement with a fishing boat then straight on to the Annapolis Bay bridge. Wind mellowed to 4-5 so we decided to put up the code 0. Entertaining with lots of cross chop big wake everywhere! After helping Laz raise the code 0… furled the jib while he put the code 0 sheets on… minimal breeze… unfurled the code-0 with improvement in our speed. Not much breeze but we gained some. We motored a short bit near the 11! large tankers anchored off Annapolis, then the breeze built nicely and we were at Thomas Point Light by 2:30p. Decided to push on for Herrington Harbor South and got to the T-dock C by 4:30p! Showers and dinner at Ketch-22. Glorious day!
Mom June 6
Slept in today until 8:45a. Got up slowly, went over to the Chesapeake Market to get a breakfast burrito to share and some coffee. Enjoyed breakfast and watching ducks, fish jump and osprey. Returned the head keys and off the docks and on our way at 10:20am. Motored out almost to the first green then turned into the wind to put the main up. Tacked our way down to the Little Choptank with winds almost always due S. What started as a pretty mellow sail with 3-5 kts, ghosting on 3 kts of wind, doing 3 kts over water.
It ramped up around noon to 10+ kts and when it was steady 12+ decided to reef 1. Had a sailboat under motor to our starboard, should have checked before reefing. Felt like we pushed him towards the shore. Otherwise the tack went very smoothly with all equipment working as it should. After that I could point appropriately, not pinch up, and we were going 7+ all the way into the mouth of the Little Choptank. Furled the jib and dropped the main at the mouth of Hudson Creek. Nearly missed the green going in, that would have been bad as it would have put us in quite shallow water, but Laz found the mark for me and in we went. Anchored off our favorite mansion, a little farther into the creek about even with the duck blind. With the wind predicted gusts to 20, we put down 70ft of chain. Didn't set properly the first time, but dug in on the second. In by 8pm. Relaxed, read in the cockpit and had cheese and crackers. Laz saw people at the mansion! Sitting in chairs looking out. They had gone inside when I went to look. Dinner was my homemade spaghetti sauce with rotini and garlic bread. Left the magic cheese at home, grr. Still was all yummy. Gorgeous sunset tonight! I thought the breeze mellowed but Laz had put the dodger up, lol.
Tuesday June 7
Woke at 7:30 to the wind howling. Decided to get up and get going. Scones and yogurt up top, then Dan got the mainsail ready. Worked together to get the anchor up, in 13-15 knots of breeze. Anchor up and on our way before 9:00 a.m. We motored out Hudson Creek with Dan reminding me to watch the marks, especially the first green after the duck blind. We motored out the Little Choptank until the second green out, then turned into the wind to put the main up. Decided to start out reef two. We also decided to reef the jib two dots. The wind was coming from SSE, And we did better than expected, only needing five tacks to get into the Patuxent. The wind ranged initially from 12 to 15 knots, building to 18, then 22, then gusts to 25 knots. On one tack we decided to let the jib all the way out, when the wind dropped to 6 to 8 knots. We left it out when the wind picked up again, and found it to be quite stable and may have improved our speed. Saw a baby Beneteau going fast and heeling more than 45°. We sailed by her and noticed 2 rudders. We ran into the owners at the marina later. Boat’s name is Scootalong and is a brand new Beneteau First 27 ft. Homebase is Virginia Beach, picked up the boat in Annapolis and they were bringing her back to Virginia Beach. Got into the Patuxent just as the wind was steadily 22 to 25, at Zahniser's by 4:00pm. Hosed the salt water off baji-naji and realized we left the port and starboard hatches open. The port cushion by the chart table was soaked with salt H2O! Lesson learned. Hosed that down too and left to dry out in the cockpit. More entertainment as we watched a 42 ft Bali try to come in in front of us on the T and was having trouble. Almost backed into us. Laz went to help the dockhands bring her safely in. Turns out only one person had any real experience sailing. Had a lovely meal at the restaurant which replaced Dry Dock, called La Vela. We tried the fried green tomatoes for appetizers. For the main course, Laz had the veal saltimbocca and I had fettuccine with shrimp, scallops and lump crab with a saffron cream sauce that was delectable. Dessert was cannolis and apple strudel, both quite good.
Wednesday June 8
Lay day in the Solomons. Made a zucchini and crab dip omelette with a slice of multi grain toast after getting a French vanilla coffee at the boater's lounge. Refilled our gallon jugs from their filtered water cooler as well. Did some chores on the boat; tightened up the screws/nuts on the engine hatch cover, Laz went through all the lines in the lazarette to find we do have enough. Decided to walk to West Marine ~a mile away to look for a burgee and a nut of one of the engine screws. Found boat shoes for Laz, Columbia, canvas. Fit well with grip. Also bought some bilge cleaner. Walked back towards Safe Harbor Zahniser's stopping at Angler's grill at the Beacon Marina for late lunch. Had the fish and chips and a side of onion rings… all delicious. Shared the fish and chips. Headed back to baji-naji to put our stuff away then tried to get a Lyft to go to the movies, but no luck. Should have been a clue. Cameron, one of the dock hands, gave us a ride to the AMC in Lexington Park where we watched Top Gun Maverick. Really good. Especially appropriate as we were by the Patuxent Naval Air base and have seen/heard all the training planes touch and go. Walked to Big Lots then Family Dollar then CVS to buy more OJ for Laz. CVS has the Tropicana brand. Tried three times to get a Lyft with no luck. Taxi company was closed and the other place I called was reserved limos only. Decided to start walking as I noticed some hotels along the way. I thought maybe one of them might know how to get a ride. Worst case scenario we could stay at the Hampton Inn and get a ride back in the am.
Went into the first hotel, a Comfort Inn, but the front desk person did not know of any other way to get a ride other than Uber or Lyft. Tried to install the Uber app but had trouble as I didn't remember my password from 6 years ago when I tried to install and get a ride in Nashville. Saw a used car dealership and joked that we should ask to test drive and then ask them to take it back. Walked in to ask if they could help. Turns out they closed in 15 min and the young man working was willing to give us a ride after work and after checking with his boss. It started to rain just as we got in the car, so lucky us! Never got his name but the young man was from So Cal, ex Navy discharged for medical reasons. Gave him the $60 in cash as that's what the Lyft would have cost. He hasn't been there long enough to explore, so we showed him where the restaurants and shops are in the Solomons and suggested he take his girl out for dinner either at La Vela or the Pier or Bugeye Grill. He dropped us off and we went to La Vela to get bruschetta and the burrata over beefsteak tomatoes we didn't get the night before. Took both back to baji-naji. Laz had just about gotten the dodger up and the full bimini when the thunderstorm started across the way. Crazy light show! We enjoyed the apps and a Talula's Farm salad while watching the light show. Dessert was the chocolate lava cake…did not heat it up and was just as delicious. Vanilla ice cream was provided. Nice end for an adventurous afternoon.
Thursday June 9
Rain all night and some thunder audible. Glad we stayed at Zanhiser's. Up at 0730, got coffee at the boater's lounge, threw some blueberries, Greek yogurt and Talula's granola in a cup and we were out by 0900. Wanted to go the shorter passage out but someone was putting up their mainsail that way so went around the other marinas. Lighter breeze than advertised in the am. Got to watch many more touch and gos with the Navy pilots. Wind was from the W, then NW when we exited the Patuxent and turned south, then W or just N of W afterwards. Had some amazing downwind sailing. Saw pelicans fishing and had 4 dragonflies hitch a ride. It was ~8-10kts at one point so put up the code 0 with jib still out on the port side. Managed to get all the lines in the right places. Wind picked up and I saw we were doing 8.2 kts for a short bit and 8.5 over ground. Crazy fast on a beam/reach. Wind was 15+ at that point. By the time we headed into the Wicomico and towards Ingram Bay it was 16-18. We furled the code 0 and we're making 6kts on main alone. Got into Ingram Bay, took down the main and motored up Mill Creek. A truly beautiful spot with lots of places to anchor ~ 10 ft deep. Good mud holding. Saw an osprey chase an eagle; osprey was really pissed for a while. Went for a swim, nice buoyant salt H2O, and floated a bit. Thought about skinny dipping as we didn't see anyone in the houses around but decided on a different option. Cheese, crackers, pepperoni on deck with Polar Black Cherry Seltzer, with a gorgeous sunset. Nomadic Jambalaya pot pie for dinner. Wonderful day!
Friday June 10
French toast with raspberry coulis from La Vela with bacon and mini omelette with crab dip. Anchor up at 0900 and headed out the winding channel to Ingram Bay. Put up the main in the bay. SV Jyland which came in behind us yesterday, left at the same time but headed further up the Wicomico. Wind from S as we headed out . Used the code 0 for a reasonably easy reach. Saw 3 or 4 cow nose rays on the way over as well as many pelican. Long long long channel into Onancoke from the Pocomoke Sound. Got to Onancoke Wharf by 3:30pm, had help with the boats already docked with our lines in addition to the single dock hand and eased the stern in. A little tricky as guys rowing a dinghy just in front so had to pause… the water was only 4'6" where we were and baji-naji seemed to stop firm a second or two before I put her in reverse to back into the slip. One of the fellow boaters said he would never speak poorly about women drivers again as apparently I made it look easy; my retort was that I cheated and used my bow thruster. We took a short walk into town and found that they closed off a main street for a Second Friday Stroll. Setting up for a band at the Blarney Stone with outdoor dining, reggae band at the town park, and a wine tasting at the local gourmet market. Bought some double Gloucester, smoked Gouda, salami and crackers as well as Wicked Mix laced with Chocolate that was pretty good. Walked further to the gas station mart in search of roast beast but nothing there. Picked up a 6 pack of Diet Coke in short bottles. Walked back past the Mallard and decided we would have dinner there. Back to the boat to drop off provisions then over to the Mallard for hopefully an early dinner. They were not taking walk ins so I made a reservation for 7:15p and asked if we could be seated early. Alas no, so went back to relax on baji-naji. Met Bill from the tug Journey in the slip on our port side and chatted until dinner time. Bill is a retired anesthesiologist, his wife April is an ER RN, their daughter working on vet school apps and is currently in Africa taking care of baby lion cubs. They lost their son, Christian, 4 years ago to a kayak accident. He was a champion kayaker, and was 17. They are babysitting their daughter's dog, Millie, a 4 y.o. Golden retriever. At dinner we were seated outside with the Irie Tree Band (house band) playing. They were quite good with a reggae feel but playing all kinds of music. Trio of singer/guitarist (also a chef at the Mallard), drums and bass (they sang harmony). Bill showed up as we were almost done, looking for a table outside so Millie could be with them. We offered our table as it was enough for 4+ and they joined us. Very nice evening with them with Millie well behaved. Headed back together, took a tour of Journey and Bill toured baji-naji. Showers then sorted out our float plan as thunderstorms predicted for Sunday and going further south didn't make sense. Especially if we were going to be in Oxford Tuesday (Scottish Highland Creamery and Capsize are closed on Wednesdays). Decided on Crisfield for 2 nights. Did the Dockwa and was shocked that it was accepted immediately at 11:30pm! Off to bed.
Saturday June 11 ❤️ 39 years 🥰
Slept in a little, went to the Corner Bakery and found a long line. Waited and got some cinnamon crullers, a raspberry jelly donut and a pecan cinnamon roll. Figured if the line was that long it must be good. Went over to Janet's Cafe for takeout breakfast sandwiches and a RB, cheddar and horseradish mayo sammich. Turns out Janet is from Montauk and left 17 years ago and is retiring this year (she will be 70). Her dad owned the Fishing Dock Inn/marina or something like that. Glad we popped in. Her egg sandwiches were outstanding and her RB sammich was as well. On nice Portuguese rolls. On the way back to the marina, we stopped at the Farmers market, picked up french bread, bacon, ground beef and a slice of pineapple pound cake.
I went to fill the gallon jugs of water while Laz prepped the boat for departure. Apparently an incoming sail boater who had come into the fuel dock was irate that 'his' slip was taken (Journey had not left yet) even though check in wasn't until 1pm and it wasn't even 11am yet (checkout time).
We were out by 10:50a with Bill and April right behind us.
Headed to Crisfield with a SW wind. Had to motor a bit as wind had pretty much disappeared. Somewhere south of Tangier Red 6 outside of Crisfield we saw a large pod of dolphin!!!! 🐬🐬🐬15-20 with a couple swimming right to our port bow. Laz slowed the engine and we just hung out to watch. Very cool and a lovely anniversary gift from the water gods. Horse flies off Jane Island and even before that. Got into Somers Cove Marina at 4pm in Crisfield. Backed into the slip G13, same as last year, on the second try. Misjudged the wind strength and direction (again!). One of the guys helping us in had been at the Annapolis Sailboat Show last October and had given us the reusable bag. Corinthians fleet cruise was in, so he had ordered more Smith Island cake so we had a choice of lemon, peach or classic. We took lemon (delicious and chiffon-y icing) and classic. Decided to clean the front AC, filters were quite dirty. There is some standing water which we placed a little bleach in. Seemed to help. Used sail tape to hold aft screen in place. Met folks from SC on Beach Music, a classic Hatteras. Also met neighbors on Patriot Dreams and Dragonfly. The guys from Patriot Dreams had been to Tangiers for the day and recommended the trip. Went over to Crab Pot Depot to get BBQ for dinner. After dinner we saw that Dragonfly lost her fender and it was drifting off towards the fuel dock. We watched the rescue with boat hooks and a net. Whoo-hoo! Showed Robbie and Louise the chart for the Honga (they are from Oxford). Managed to break the screen to our cabin as I was fitting 3 of us on the starboard bench (dinner still out on the port side). Laz found out more about their cruise…virtual yacht club. Intriguing.
Sunday June 12
Lay day due to the incoming thunderstorms. Or so we thought. Crullers for breakfast. Cleaned aft AC filter and switched both to heat. Rainy morning and bed sheets got wet due to S wind and forgetting to close aft cabin hatch right away. Hung them up to dry while the AC was on. Read and relaxed. Rest of RB for lunch for Laz and I had leftover salad from Mallards and heated up the rest of the fettuccine with scallops shrimp and crab sharing some with Laz. After lunch came the heavy part of the story. Turned on navs to see what the wind was doing. Saw 32+kts! Lots of thunder and lightning, some quite close. Later found out that lightning had hit the other part of the marina. Everything seemed to clear out by 2-2:30pm. We refilled the water tanks. Note: Crisfield water is very soft! After checking NOAA, radar and Frog we decided to set off for the Honga. Left dock before 3pm and had delightful breeze 12-16kts then a bit more 16-20, but all downwind so we made good time and got our anchor down at 8p in the Honga. Put out 100ft with predicted 10-15 with gusts to 20 overnight. Felt like we dug in well. Brilliant sunset as we anchored. Grilled cheese and tomato bisque for dinner in the cockpit. . Laz rigged the wet dock lines to the main halyard and we hoisted them up to dry. Had some quality time on the foredeck.
Monday June 13
In the middle of the night the dock lines were banging on the lifeline so we brought them down. Up at 0630 as a long sail today to Oxford. Anchor up at 0715 with the cinnamon roll with pecans for breakfast as well as yogurt blueberries and granola for me. 5-7 kts coming out of the Honga, put up the main as we left. 5 kts true on downwind reach. Decent breeze, switching headsails for best angle running up the Eastern Shore. Found a nice line avoiding crab pots. Sailed until opposite the Solomons, then motored to the Choptank as wind was due S and we were not making progress. Had a Bali 42 overtake us in the Choptank, but they weren't sure of where they were headed. A large green-blue cutter with a cabin cruiser type body was running close behind us. Came into the fuel dock at 1600 and saw the cutter anchor in the middle of the channel!! Only needed 12.7 gallons for 20 engine hours, better than we thought. Engine hours at fuel dock; 397.0. Assigned slip C5, starboard tie with stern in. Hot as the hinges of Hades so jumped in the pool which was very refreshing. Did a few laps then did a rinse off and walked to Capsize for dinner. Lovely shrimp tacos and Laz had a Ceasars salad with shrimp. They brought chicken instead so we asked for the shrimp. The chicken was take out for another lunch as well as strawberry Smith Island cake. Had Scottish Highland Creamery for dessert… Tropical Sunset Treat with peach, mango, passion fruit and orange or pineapple. I had a waffle bowl with double Belgian chocolate and Cabin Fever… dark caramel and chocolate chips in a caramel/vanilla base. Laz helped me finish it, it was a generous serving! Lovely Oxford sunset with clouds. Predicted rain early am so put up the dodger and ran the AC but cooled down so not much needed.
Tuesday June 14 Mom's 89th birthday 🎂🎉
Headed to the Robert Morris Inn for breakfast at 0830. Had a delicious and generous egg white frittata with goat cheese and spinach with avo and tomato side, along with a very buttery scone with currents, butter and strawberry jam. Laz had the Belgian waffle he missed at Janet's in Onancock, along with a side of sausage. Decided to walk to the Oxford market for sandwich meats. So glad we brought the Hellys because it rained hard on our way home. Of course it slowed/stopped when we got back to the marina. Chatted with Jeff the dock master/manager in the office. Apparently the recycling company they use is no longer in business! He's working on another one. Safe Harbor is putting $ into marina improvements and taking good care of them. And no, anchoring in the channel is not supposed to happen but Coast Guard and DNR won't /can't do anything about it. Filled the gallon jugs with H2O and talked with the scientists on the NOAA vessel as it refueled. They have a used Coast Guard vessel and are checking out the oyster reseeding programs. Very cool. Off the dock by noon as the rain seemed to have held off and had a nice sail out of the Choptank into the Bay and all the way to South River. The rain brought a cooler day, needed jackets for the sailing. I got a nice nap. Anchored in a nifty cove up Harness Creek by 7p. Apparently there was another cove further in where there was already a sailboat. A motorboat a little farther out, and yet another came in after we did. Made cheeseburgers and zucchini slices with the ground beef we bought at the Farmers market in Onancock. Watched a heron fishing in the reeds just ahead of us, and another magnificent sunset. We could hear the sailboaters jumping in and splashing around. Cool evening which made for nice sleeping.
Wednesday June 15
Awakened at 0640 by a LOUD osprey call. Tried to go back to sleep but it kept yelling so we got up at 7:30 or 8. He was on the upper spreader. Relaxed morning as we were just going to the Magothy. Last 2 crullers plus ½ my leftover frittata for breakfast. Called Atlantic Marina at Ferry Point to see if there was a slip available and Adrienne said she would check and get back to us. A group of a dozen kayakers, mostly kids, with two adults supervising, came up to our cove. Sea Scouts…a summer program including the kayaking. Pulled anchor after they were safely away about 10 am. No wind at all. Put up the main with hopes of using the code 0, but not much luck. Saw a sailboat with red Spinnaker and they could not fill that sail, so we motored. Adrienne called back and said they could fit us in so I texted the Townleys with our float plan change. Wind picked up delightfully after we went under the Bay bridge but then kept shifting around with a poor angle to get into the Magothy so we motored. Hot sunny day. Wind built to 10 once in the Magothy at ~3p but due E, and we wanted to get in by 4p so still motored. Slip ND4 on the inside. Very narrow fairway and slip, maybe 14 feet wide. Judicious use of bow thruster and engine and we were in without nudging a piling. Dockhand followed direction well for the cross tie in the stern. Erin texted to see if we could meet for dinner at 5:30 (yes) and Laz went to check on waiting time for dinner while I walked back to baji-naji. Very sad, saw a Mallard trying to wake up/nudge his partner but she was clearly dead. Got showered and over to the Point Crab House by 5:15 and they were able to seat us. The Townleys were taking marketing photos of a Searay on the hard and joined us shortly after 5:30pm. Had a delightful dinner with them catching up. Nanny's deviled eggs were a hit as well as the cheddar biscuits. I had seared ahi with avocado in lettuce wraps, Laz had the pork tacos and the Townleys had fish and chips. They came to hang out on baji-naji and to see the improvements we made (generator) etc. So nice to see them. Oh, and there was an osprey on the top of the mast for 15m.
Thursday June 16
Slept in as it rained overnight into the morning. Breakfast of scrambled eggs with cheddar, and some of the bacon from the Onancoke Farmer's market. Cooked the bacon in the small pot then used some of the bacon grease to scramble the eggs. Rain was supposed to stop around 10ish. We checked the radar and the sky and set out around 11am. Put up the mainsail almost immediately. Apparently there was another cell as it started to rain then. I grabbed my Helly and waterproof pants and put them on. Jib out and we were hauling through the Magothy. Wind from the S mostly at 12-15kts. 2 tacks and we sailed out of the Magothy. Kept the engine on idle as there are crab pots and it's a bit narrow out that channel. Sailed across to Rock Hall on the same tack. Wind was building to 17-18kts so reefed the main 1 and kept on flying. Brilliant sail. doing 6-7+ all the way. Got to Rock Hall Landing around 2:30p, had slip assignment of C8 but the wind was blowing even more so we took the B/C T. We were being blown into the T so took quite a bit of engine and manpower (Laz and the dockhand) to move her forward to the end of the T. Got scuff marks from the dock and dock rub rail which we mostly got cleaned off with the magic sponge. Got baji-naji tied down securely with fenders out and then went to check out the upgrades since the marina changed ownership. Chatted with Bob, who was doing repairs, and turns 80 soon, who said the new owners were pretty good. They don't visit much as they are from NY. Took the bikes into town (free to use) and headed to Fresh Start market and garden. I got the avocado toast for lunch, Laz ordered an Italian sub. We picked up a ½ gallon of milk (Hy-Point Dairy) and some fresh pineapple and cantaloupe as well. Went back to baji-naji to have lunch and watched the storm over Baltimore head toward Annapolis. Saw a boat go aground in the cut, not sure what they were doing as there are clear marks. Got some great photos of Island Girl coming through the cut. Walked to Waterman's and gave the Capt of Island Girl the photos (texted). Had the Louisiana seafood gumbo for dinner and Laz had the seafood quesadilla rolled into a burrito roll, dusted with Old Bay spice.. Took home ½ the gumbo and a key lime pie. On the way back met a couple on Griffin a 27 ft sloop Canadian make. They are based in the NorthEast River Yacht club. Turns out the wife is the Chaplain for the club and had christened AfterMath! We chatted about sailing and they have only been sailing 2 years. She works in a nursing home and the last couple of years has been tough. He is a mortgage banker. We invited them to tour baji-naji and discussed the upcoming weather. Expected 15-20 with gusts to 25. They are heading home tomorrow, we will wait and see.
Friday June 17
Up at 0830, Laz up earlier as usual. Cherry pastry, fruit and yogurt for breakfast. Laz took down the code 0 in anticipation of the winds. Did not need to as it was only 7kts coming out of Rock Hall. Left around 10:30. Wind built and was just over 10 at 11am as promised. Initially was SW then drifted S so we were all over the place to keep 120-130 AWA. Got to the mouth of Worton by 1:30. Then the wind finally built strong enough that we decided to reef 1 outside of Worton Point. Kept full jib. Wind then was 22-25 sustained so reefed 2. Later when it dropped to 15 or less we raised it back up to reef 1. Minimal jib tacks and able to sail all the way up to the first red in the Sassafras with no trouble. Jibed to get around and then pointed up towards Knight Island. Took down our sails just outside Knight Island with it blowing ~18 or so. Motored in the rest of the way. Tried to drop anchor a little too close to shore and ran around. Tried the bow thruster to no avail. Laz dropped anchor to await higher tide. We waited a short while, and I noted that it read 4'6" which we have negotiated before. Finally able to power her off the ledge and reset anchor. Put out 70ft of chain as we are in 7-8 ft of water with expected high winds overnight. Very hot day up above 90°, so stayed in the cockpit a while. Ran the generator for 40 min or so to recharge the batteries as we had only used sail power since leaving Rock Hall. Another beautiful sunset. When it got cool enough with the sun setting (got down to 83°) we went to make dinner and bring it back up.
Leftover BBQ chicken shredded and mixed with some BBQ sauce and the rest of the baked beans with pineapple over iceberg as a salad for dinner with some of the flat crackers. Strawberry Smith Island cake from Capsize for dessert. Ran the AC off the generator to cool down the cabin.
Saturday June 18
Up about 0730. Wind was picking up with forecast for 15-20 and gusts to 25. Laz had looked out when he got up a bit earlier and we were secure. When I went to use the head and brush my teeth, Laz looked outside and yelled "we're moving!" He ran up to start the engine, and move us away from the shallows. He let me know I had enough time to get dressed but the wind was definitely up. I grabbed clothes and some of the leftover breakfast pastries and got up to the cockpit ASAP at the engine so Laz could work the anchor. Raised anchor with the wind blowing at least 15+ so we decided to just go. Best we can figure there was a wake and wind at the same time which bounced the bow and dislodged the anchor which had been secure all night. Wind was from the NW so we decided to motor, as it would have been a tough beat. I was able to make coffee once we cleared the red, while it was relatively calm seas in the Sassafras. Waves were definitely big when we got into the Bay. I saw gusts of 28-30kts at one point. Had the engine at 2200 to get baji-naji up to 5kts. We lost speed with every big wave. I found that going at a bit of an angle to the wind made better way than straight into the wind (and waves). Still a bumpy ride. Once we got into the channel for HdG the waves were better. Got back to Tidewater by 1:30 or 2pm and got her securely back in slip. Went to Bomboys for a celebratory ice cream. Dinner aboard; Laz teased that we had as many provisions at the end of the trip as we did at the beginning.
Walked the marina and the folks on the Tartan 33 next to the Byng yelled hello. It was Will from Altair! He sold the Beneteau and bought the Tartan, currently has Elixir on the stern but is the new Altair. He and his girlfriend Emily were excited to be back on the boat, he had just found it without a broker. We gave him a boat card. We also met the folks on Amazing Grace which will be renamed Aria. Andrew and ? And their dog Lucy. They are relatively new to boating and have a Hunter 42.
Engine hours at end of trip: 409.4.
Sunday June 19
Decided to pack up and go home since it was still crazy windy and a day sail would have been uncomfortable and potentially would not be able to put sails up. Was able to go to Garden Thyme after we got home to pick up window box flowers and plant them, finally. Garden Thyme was having a going out of business sale as the vet office next door was expanding.
Wonderful vacation and ending to our vacation.
Saturday June 25
Filled water tanks and fuel tank. Got 7.5 gallons for 12.6 hours, again not bad.
Headed to Still Pond. Lovely sail. Got in around 3:30, motored around the South side, saw Mare Calmo and waved hello. Decided to be on the North side where there were fewer boats. Got some swimming in as the water was warming up nicely ~78°. Had a steak and gruyere pot pie with fresh cucumber and tomato salad, finished off with salted caramel pudding from Talula's with a double chocolate Milano. Beautiful sunset!
Sunday June 26
As we came back from Still Pond we saw Goose with her spinnaker out looking good. As we headed into the entrance for HdG along Spesutie, we saw Altair heading out and looking good! We shouted hellos. We tried to gybe the Code-0 but made a mess of it so did not catch up with them but did get some awesome video footage of them as well as still photos.
Saturday July 2
Noticed the bow thruster panel had blinking lights when we got on board. Odd.
Laura on call for work so we went to the marina Sat instead of Friday night. Worked on Sonja, putting the trampoline on, silicone spraying the track in the mast and stepping the mast. Finally all done with storm front moving in. Radar and eyeball said it was too the North, so we went out with trapeze harness and hit 14.1 kts on the way towards Furnace Cove. Came back towards the barges to check the weather and it seemed OK to make another run. Weather definitely turned dicey and we made it back to the boat ramp before it really rained. Will and Emily were going to hang out so we got Sonja on the trailer, parked across from baji-naji, and prepped some snacks, almonds, peanuts, cranberry trail mix and cheese straws as well as the cheddar horseradish spread with crackers. Hung out a while which was lovely. Ended up below when it started to pour and around 9p Will and Emily went back to Altair. I felt bad we didn't serve dinner so we had quick pasta meal of rotini and a Rao's Bolognese then off to bed. Rained a good part of the night.
Sunday July 3rd.
Met Christine from the MV Happy Place in the am when she was walking her dog Milou, named after the dog in Le Petit Prince.
Day sail
Picnic
Fireworks on Happy Place - great view!
Monday July 4
Woke up to multiple pings from the RNs… ended up with 7 LOIs and 2 P2Ps for Texas
Gig Sat July 9 (Steve's father passed - the Viking subbed) so no sailing. Brunch with Cate and Jim at Oso.
Friday July 15
To Worton
July 22
July 29 RSJ 2020+2
August 6
Knight Island. Last minute call due to wind direction. Excellent sailing.
Saturday August 13 Sydney's shower. Did not go out to Slowhand afterwards where Tommy was playing. Sunday August 14. Sailed Sonja to the mouth of Northeast and back. Went to Unwined where Whitewalls were playing with Tommy subbing in as the male singer. Uyvari’s showed up, with Chris jumping on stage with guitar and also singing Long Train.
Friday August 19
Tidewater Flotilla weekend! Able to leave work at 5p. Over to Smith's to help Annie with Gizmo who was on her last legs. Sharon, Scott and the girls were due in after MN. Gizmo had soiled herself in the foyer, Annie got her outside and wanted someone to sit with her there. Spent some time with her, got Annie wine and snacks, and then picked up Red Sombrero on our way to Tidewater. Christiane stopped by as I was setting up dinner to ask for details. Got her email address so we could send her the last one with a photo of where to be. Tina came by to say hello. Her surgery went well but she is not allowed to swim in the Bay. Went for a walk after dinner then off to bed.
Saturday August 20
Up at 0830. Breakfast of scones and yogurt. Off the docks at 9:45a. Bow thruster died not retract, Looked up the meaning of the blinking lights on the troubleshooting guide… obstruction. There were instructions on how to clear it but by then we were in the channel. Waited to we could leave the channel where we could back up and follow directions and we cleared it! Ton of seaweed came floating out! Wind was from the E at FBI where we cleared the obstruction in the bow thruster then died then came from NW and due W. We were able to sail with jib, not the code-0 which Laz had put up. Oh well.
The Byng passed us after Still Pond and got into Worton just before we did. We radioed to sort where we were going. Happy Place, Lollapalooza and a 3rd motor boat we never got the name of were anchored near the beach, too close for us. There were a dozen sailboats already anchored!!! It was 3:30-4pm and looked like all spots taken. We rafted out a little ways, with the Byng as the anchor. Johnny said he had a 65 lb anchor and 35 feet of chain and he let out a ton of scope. We called Christiane on the VHF and asked folks to join us on the Byng for swimming and appetizers. Bill and Christiane came by on their paddle board/kayak. Everyone else stayed with their various dogs near shore. Tina loaned us her swim saddles, very comfy, keeps you upright and more comfy than the swim horseshoe. Might have to get one. Got out and enjoyed the deviled eggs and a beautiful platter of cheeses and fruit that Tina laid out.
Altair came by around 6p, rafted to the Byng's starboard side. I jumped into the water again with Will and Emily, loaning them the saddles…I used the pool noodle. More snacks after swimming. Laura from Lollapalooza paddled over with her puppy Dexter, so cute and just a handful, with Christiane and Bob from the other boat to say hi. Everyone loved on the puppy.
Vela was late due as Steven needed to change the batteries on her. They came in after 7pm and rafted next to us.
Everyone socialized for a bit, and got to see each other's boats. Altair is lovely, which I would expect from a Tartan. Northern Loon came in at 7:30pm and rafted off Altair. Two dark hulled Tartans together made for a pretty picture. Morris ran off with his spaniel, Millie, rowing her to shore in his dinghy so she could partake of the facilities on the beach. Will announced he was hungry so he and Emily got their grill going to make sausages and deconstructed chicken satay. I put the cheese baguette in the oven and tossed the Talula's farm salad, Jennifer made grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough and we all tucked in around 8:45pm. Decided to eat on baji-naji as the cockpit table was big enough. Morris and Millie were on the Byng as I was not sure about Millie coming aboard baji-naji. Feast! Jennifer brought out a key lime pie afterwards and we were all quite full.
Then we all had to un-raft and find our way to an anchor spot somewhere in the dark. Altair went to the south side, Vela more west, and Loon just back (West) from us. Everyone seems to have anchored safely for the night. Washed dishes (I had brought out plates/forks for dessert and off to bed by 11:30p, read for a little bit then sleep.
Sunday August 21
Up at 0800 for some weird reason. Breeze! Had Oso quiche for breakfast, mushroom and goat cheese for me and chorizo for Laz. The pineapple had gone South.
Lovely S/SE breeze so we sailed out of Worton Cove.
Fri August 26
Gig at Oso 6-9p. So hot! 85+ Great crowd, great pizza and good time. 3 of us minus Tom
Saturday August 27
At baji-naji by 11 am. Picked up subs from Sam's. Decided to sail to North side of Still Pond. Wind from SSW so tacked down to Still Pond. Decent wind.
Sunday August 28
French toast and bacon with omelette for breakfast. Great wind from the S-SW again . Sailed all the way back with the code-0. Light to start and then built. Sailed all the way up towards Northeast before tacking and heading back to HdG.
Friday Sept 2
Did not come down as planned. Laura did not feel well
Saturday Sept 3
Felt good enough to try to go out. Got to Tidewater by 10am. Steven and Jennifer were there, Vela was not out. Apparently fuel injector line is leaking fuel into the bulge. Steven is hoping he can fix, but might need someone else to help. They were headed to the baseball game (Orioles) in any case, just not by boat. Saw Dexter the puppy from Lollapalooza at the fuel dock. He has doubled in size in 2 weeks!!! Chatted with Jeff Andrews and asked if it was possible to put in longer finger, asked him to quote it out. Got 3 blocks of ice to cool down the fridge before putting in the food. Off the dock before 11am and had to motor all the way to Patapsco as light breeze initially which built. Sailed up the Patapsco then motor sailed. Stayed at Anchorage Marina which is lovely. Wayne is the dock master. Had dinner with Fitz and Tina and their daughter Emily. There was a BBQ and a band. Went for a walk with the dogs, then back to the marina to wrap up the evening. Ended up singing Somebody to Love with the band at the end of the night.
Sunday Sept 4
Met Fitz and Tina to walk to Do Coffee Roaster for breakfast. Overshot it by several blocks, oops. Lovely breakfast outside with lots of stories shared. Connie Liu was supposed to come by round noon to hang out but she ended up cancelling. Laz was troubleshooting the fill for the chlorine part of the Purasan as it wasn't filling with water. Walked through all the steps recommended but still not working. Laz to call Raritan.
Headed out after that, around 1p. Raised the mainsail then motored into Inner Harbor to check it out. Saw Oasis Marina, where Vela has stayed. Some kind of pirate ship/party boat was by the aquarium. Turned around to go out; it was directly into the wind. A little motor sailing with judicious angles. Wind was strong from the ESE. Sailed out the Patapsco once we were past the bridge. As we made the turn North wind was 60°apparent, 12-15kts and baji-naji was doing 7.5kts, up to 7.8 at one point with the jib. One smaller Beneteau below us on port looked like it was trying to head up, possibly to Rock Hall or Annapolis. We turned up into the wind a bit to furl the jib and unfurl the code-0 and he was past when we turned back down. More wheee!
The wind was more S as we got closer to Poole's Island.
Got into Worton around 6:30 to raft up with Altair. Went for a swim in the lovely 82 degree water. still love the salt and buoyancy at Worton. Emily made the grilled chicken with peanut sauce and I served small bowls of homemade chili with ciabatta and a small cherry pie, as well as fresh cherries. Emily had cut up some cucumbers and peppers as well.
We went off to anchor around 10pm. Laz was able to dim the nav lights so better visibility. Anchored well with 70 ft out in 9ft of H2O. Did the dishes (we used ours) and off to bed before MN
Monday September 5th
Slept in past 9:30am. Tomato mozzarella and corn crustless quiche for breakfast. Altair took off around 10-10:30 and we followed about ½ hour later. Put the main up inside the cove then sailed out with code-0. Jibed when we were past the yellow Army marks on the other side then again just past Still Pond. Jibed once more by the Army marks. Thought we'd have to jibe again before Betterton, but the wind kept shifting East so we didn't need to. Got hailed on VHF by the tug boat Gran-ME (I think that's the name). Their Captain said they were going to flip the barge and had hailed to let us know if we stayed in the channel we would be fine. He even pronounced baji-naji correctly 😊. We kept going while he flipped the tug and then had to jibe before Grove Point. Sailed back in.
Friday Sept 9th
Still absorbing the news that Queen Elizabeth II died yesterday. She had just ushered in a new PM on Tuesday, Liz Truss. Now we have Charles III. Full moon tonight. There was a lighted boat parade, part of the Waterfront Festival in Havre de Grace. Saw some of it and then walked down to greet the Byng as she came back in. She didn't participate but was out there to watch. Met Johnny's brother Dave and his wife.
Saturday Sept 10th
Got up very late…nearly 10am! Croissants with strawberry jam and hard boiled Brumfield farm eggs.. delicious! Not much wind as we set out. Motored to the fuel dock to refuel…got 0.53 mpg/gph this time, better than the usual 0.57.
Decided to go North up the Elk to the Bohemia but not enough breeze so we went up the Northeast instead. Breeze was light but did build to 5 from the N. Lovely sail up to the big house with the red roof at Red Point just past the red mark. Tacked to go back to Tidewater. Wind shifted a bit to the East then back and forth as usual. Beautiful sailing day despite the light breeze and we got to take baji-naji somewhere new! On our way back, overtook Altair and called out to say hi…but it wasn't Will and Emily. It was Will's friends Stephen (Steph-en) and his girlfriend Meredith. Saw Captain Tom taking out an empty barge… turned out to be the fireworks barge! Followed Adventure Bound in and she is across the fairway from us. She is a 36.6 Hunter and we met her owners Earl and Jean. Very nice couple. Met Ed and Lisa on the baby Irwin 31ft on our way back. Ran into Laura and Bill from Lollapalooza walking their dogs. Dexter grew another foot it seems! Heating up our steak and gruyere pot pie when the fireworks started at 8pm. Lovely!
Sunday September 11
Rain day.
Friday September 16
Ben's birthday! Bob Macauley visiting as it's his annual ABIM sub board meeting for question writing. Had dinner at 809, grilled bison steak, zucchini and mushrooms with Talula's ciabatta and dip. Brought Molly's apple crumb pie to baji-naji for dessert aboard. Cool night but not too chilly.
Saturday Sept 17
Scones for breakfast. Headed to Still Pond for the night. Not much wind at first, put up the main but motored out the channel. Wind picked up as we were out and we sailed to Worton instead. Only 4 or so boats when we got there around 4 but a bunch more came in. 15+ total.
Sunday Sept 18
Scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast with some cantaloupe, watermelon and pineapple. Up and out by 0900 as Bob had a plane to catch. Great wind! Let Bob do a lot of the sailing.
Back to Tidewater by 2:30 in the slip. Took Bob for a walk to Bomboys for something for Pam. Got a tour of the soon to be opened new brewpub on the Tidewater office space. Got Bob to the train on time, but later found out that it was late by 30m. Somehow he made the plane and got home safe.
Friday Sept 23
Despite a tough week, packed it up, picked up Red Sombrero and headed to the marina. Chilly night down to 52°. Put the heat to 66° in the main cabin and pulled out the big comforter. Ahhh.
Saturday Sept 24
Slept in til after 9am. Made a Wildgrain bagel in the oven, perfectly cooked. Put chive and onion cream cheese a fried egg and a small slice of cheddar atop for breakfast. Laz called Maryland Marina and they are able to accommodate us with a slip. Headed out by 11am, motored out the channel and the wind was moving W then more S. Was good for a short bit then died again so motored just about even with Still Pond when it picked up again. Good sailing, but then motored the cut behind Poole's Island as we were short on time. Wind stayed strong so we switched to the code-0 and had a great sail from the green at Poole's cut into Middle River then Frog Mortar Creek. (7kts SOW in under 13kts wind on the beam) Have not been here in years! Berth 823 at Maryland Marina. Beautiful view of the creek and airport across the way. Dinner at Sunset Cove. Excellent rockfish bites, tempura style. I had Maryland Crab soup and a berry salad with goat cheese and almonds. Blackberries were excellent! Laz had a shrimp Caesar wrap with fries.
Sun Sept 25
Brisk wind 10-15+ for the sail back, however saw the storm system (remnants of Ian) coming in. Sailed a fair bit then motored the channel at speed watching the storm. Got foul weather gear on and dodger up just in time. Deluge! Wind was pretty strong, but settled as we got in the fairway and into the slip. Worked in the cabin after we got back as I was on call for work and had one case to complete.
Sept 30- Oct 2…in Northfield
Friday October 7
Able to head to the marina tonight. Had a lovely pot roast dinner from Talula's, finished off with chocolate lavender pie from Nomadic.
Sat Oct 8
Beautiful day, good wind to sail to the Magothy. So many boats already there when we got there and more came in. Probably 15 sailboats and a couple of motorboats. One boat that came in and anchored windward was called Arcturus!!
Sun Oct 9th
Beautiful wind 10-15+ for the sail back.
Fri Oct 14
at Annapolis Sailboat show by land. Met up with Fitz and other Clipper race crew (plus spouses) for dinner at . Boat show was fun! Got new binoculars, new Gill foul weather coat and gloves for Laura, ordered drop seat bibs for Laura. Said hi to Dave (at the Tartan booth) and Erin (at a fancy racing cat booth) and looked at a collapsible dinghy and electric power for dinghys.
Sat Oct 15
headed back to 809 then to Philly Hyatt Centric for Premier League Philly Fan Fest!
Sun Oct 16
up at 5:30, walked over and in line by 6:15. Ended up going to club line after FB info from Philly Arsenal Fan club.
Sat Oct 22…Sydney and Craig's wedding, Horticultural center, Fairmont Park.
Sat Oct 29
Went to calling hours in the morning for Ray Sipple, then back home to pack for sailing. Laura did some cases (on call for the weekend) before leaving home. . Stopped at Sam's for subs, down and out on the water by 2:30p. Gorgeous fall day and we had 4-6kts of wind from N and NE, able to sail out most of the channel. Wind softened so used the engine a little, then able to sail past Turkey Point and towards the far shore. Southern Star who is the tug with the digger barge was out in the Elk. Sailed almost all the way back to Tidewater. Chilly, down to 40°at night, so better to be at dock with heat ON. Beautiful sunset as we came in. Got in ~6:30p. Went to Water St Seafood with Christiane and Bill. Delicious! Saw lanterns being released just across the street from us..so pretty.
Sun Oct 30
Got Sonja ready for winter, brought down the mast and took off the trampoline. Brought home everything but the mainsail. Also brought home the V Berth mattress. Kept the aft together as we plan to sail next week
Friday Nov 4
Taco salads from Red Sombrero, one steak and one al pastor. To baji-naji by 8pm. Chilly below…put the heat on to bring the temp up…it was 60° when we started the heater.
Sat Nov 5
Up by 9am. Laz up by 8a. French toast, omelette and bacon for breakfast. No wind as we left the slip around 10:15, motored out the channel with the main up. Wind picked up to 3-5 after passing FBI and past the green. Pulled out the jib and sailed across to the other side. Wind picking up to 11-13. Tacked with wind picking up further with gusts to 20. Put on life vests. When it was steady 16-18, reefed one. Sailed past the mouth of the Sassafras.. Tacked back when even with the North end of Still Pond. Some gusts over 20 for sure. Wind was S/SW, mostly. Passed several barges and a large container ship. Sailed into the South end of Still Pond. The end of the lazy jack line came out of the bag at the mast and got tangled with the jib sheets as we were furling. Had to refurl a bit after we anchored. Already a couple of sailboats here, one yawl. Able to go fairly far in the cove and set anchor letting out 110 feet of chain and line. Wind Rose came in after us and anchored a bit ahead to our starboard. A trimaran scooted in too. A couple of motor boats also came into the protected area. 3 or 4 more sailboats anchored farther out. Relatively crowded for a Nov weekend.
Listened to Man City v Fulham on our way down and then the MLS cup Philly Union v LAFC which started at 4p. Too exciting…to extra time and then PKs after a header from Gareth Bale tied it up. LAFC won. Sad for the Union!
Steak and gruyere pot pie for dinner and apple pie for dessert.
Beautiful moon and Jupiter tonight, crisp and clear.
Sun Nov 6
Time change. Still got up late 0800 aka 0900. Croissants and hard boiled eggs for breakfast. Raining steadily til 9 or so. Pulled anchor at 0930 and headed out. Good wind from the S ~8kts built to 10-13. Sailed across (120°) then jibed back. Smooth downwind with autopilot for much of it.
