snow birds, schooners and the last 294

The cool dry air felt good Sunday morning.  Blue skies and a decent breeze, both unexpected.  Snowbirds heading south on the ICW. 

And schooners too.  The fleet from the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race was tied up on the Portsmouth waterfront, including the winner - still can't quite get over that - Sultana, above out of Chestertown, Maryland.  Good for them.

Morning had the breeze and the sun.  By midday the forecasted clouds arrived just as the wind slipped away.  No complaints, there will be a lot of fine fall sailing coming our way.

I'm just getting caught up on stowing my cruising gear.  I have not even looked at the log and only scrolled through the photos one time.  I hope to start with the daily logs later this week or early next.  I have decided to call the sail "the last 294," 294 being the number of miles sailed between Cambridge and St. Michaels and "the last" referring to the fact that this will be my last Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival for a while.  I've been to the gathering three years in a row now (four if you count the 2015 event that was canceled an hour or two after I got in from a long sail from Cape Charles) and I am ready for a break.  I expect I will be back again someday, but not for a few years at least.  This year's gathering was perfect and I will cling to that memory for some time to come.