back to the future

I've been preoccupied with getting Spartina ready to sail, plus work, plus college trips with the daughters and I put the planning for the Spring cruise on the back burner.  But I had a few free hours this afternoon to sketch out the rest of the trip.

I've got the first four days worked out, you can see the rough maps here, here, here and here.  After four days of sailing we should be somewhere on the Honga River.  We'll head north on the river and take Fishing Creek to get back out on the back, sailing north and then cutting in behind James Island to the Little Choptank River.  There are two marinas off of the Little Choptank, Slaughter Creek Marina and Madison Bay Marina.  We might stop in at either one for ice, supplies or maybe a nice meal and a cold beer.  And a hot shower wouldn't be a bad idea either.  Or we might just stay anchored out, there are plenty of nice protected coves on the Little Choptank.

Below is a photo of James Island, I passed by it on days three and five of the Bay Days trip, plus Bruce and I sailed by it on our way to Tilghman Island a year earlier.  

On day six we could head north across the mouth of the Choptank River, maybe sail into Dogwood Harbor to stretch our legs and, yes, maybe have a cold beer there too.  Tilghman Island is a great spot to visit.  I'll have to check on the docking at Harrison's Chesapeake House.

One of the attractions of Dogwood Harbor would be the possibility of seeing a Skipjack under sail.  I saw the sails of one from a distance last fall, plus Bruce and I saw the Rebecca T. Ruark, below, coming into the harbor under power.  Wouldn't it be nice to be out there sailing alongside one of these classic old boats?

Day seven we would head up the Choptank River and take a brief detour up the Tred Avon to visit the great little town of Oxford, then head back out onto the river for an overnight on LaTrappe Creek.

Day eight would be a short sail into Cambridge, the likely destination for the Spring cruise.  That day's sail would be only six or eight miles, getting us in early in the day so we could rent a car and head back down to Onancock to pick up the jeep and the trailer.

This is just a rough plan of course.  Bruce will take a look and let me know what he thinks.  And of course on the cruise itself Mother Nature will add her two cents.  In the meantime I've got some emails out the marinas checking on restaurants, ramps and transient docks.  

steve