day eleven - breezy run down Tangier Sound

A bit rolly in the early morning hours as the wind swings to the west and wraps around Windmill Point and waves reach into Paul Cove.  7:15 raising sail as the sun crests the horizon.  

Beautiful clear morning.  Sailing south at 2.9.  7:50 out on the open water of the Honga River, 4.0 with lower Hooper Island to starboard.  8:20 Hooper Strait Light to starboard, Bishops Head to port, 5.3 with excellent wind.  

8:45 across the strait, Bloodsworth Island to starboard, calmer water in the lee of the island, 4.8.  Surprised to see there are no crab pots in the shallows along shore.  

9:25 reach the south end of Bloodsworth Island with a rough crossing to South Marsh Island.  Finally see deadrises working crab pots.  Once in the lee of South Marsh Island, calmer water and making 5.4.  10:00 round up and tuck in a reef to make the crossing of Kedges Strait.

10:15 pick see Kedges Strait lighthouse.  10:25 in the strait, rough and choppy, doing 5.4. 

10:40 approaching the shallows off the north end of Smith Island, fall off to the southeast around the shallows, calmer water in the lee.  11:15 easy sailing and 5.6 tracking down the east side of Smith Island.   

Reach the south end of Smith Island 11:30, 5.0 and choppy now that we are on open water.  Looking south I sort through the scene ahead of us.  Once again I think I see Watts Island to the south but after checking gps realize it is Port Isobel, the heavily wooded island just to the east of Tangier Island.  12:10 tack into the calmer water behind the shoal that runs from Smith Island to Tangier Island.  

12:30 tacking close-hauled towards Tangier.  1:30 calmer in the lee of Tangier Island.  2:00 tack off the eastern side of Port Isobel, then a series of tacks into Cod Harbor.  

Pelican show me the floats of an oyster farm on the edge of Cod Harbor, stay well clear of them.  A few more tacks up into the anchorage protected to the south and west by a sand spit.  Anchor down south of Whale Point at 3:40.

 37.46 NM

day ten - across Chesapeake Bay and back again

Morning comes with a distinct feeling of fall.  Cool and crisp, rich blue skies.  The sunrise creeping its way south.

Sail off anchor 7:25, a gentle drift out of the little cove.  7:30 catch the breeze out on Hudson Creek.  7:45 jib to the Little Choptank, 2.5.  8:20 at green marker "5", 4.9 and feel the swell rolling off the Bay with wind ow the starboard beam.

I scan the horizon for James Island and don't see it.  Fifteen years ago it was a series three eroding islands with small stands of trees.  Each year there have been less and less trees.  Now I don't see any.  

9:00 reach Oyster Cove at the southern edge of the mouth of the Little Choptank.  Glance back north and see two barren trees, tall sticks really, all that is left of James Island.  

8:20 3.8 with wind over the seaboard quarter.  9:30 think about heading to the Patuxent River and Solomons Island, the wind seems to want me to go there.  9:30 entering the shipping channel, doing 4.1 with wind aft of starboard beam.  No shipping traffic in sight.  10:05 out of the shipping channel.  

10:20 Drum Point off the starboard bow.  Decide it is too early in the day, I could be in Solomons Island at noon but the wind it too good and want to keep on sailing.   11:05 jibe towards Barren Island on the east side of the Bay.  Making 4.0 with wind after of port beam.  

See a ship of some sort heading up the Bay.  It will be long gone by the time I reach the ship's path.  

With the wind I am angling across the shipping channel, taking longer than I like to cross.  

I can make out barges anchored off Barren Island which tells me I will soon be out of the channel. A second ship comes up from the south but we are leaving the shipping lane at 12:15 and are well clear of the traffic.  

I look south along the Hooper Islands and the bridge between Fishing Creek, an island, and Middle Hooper Island emerges from the shoreline.  1:35 an easy pass under the bridge with a helping tide.  On the Honga River making 3.4.  2:20 round Bentley Point.  2:40 jibe in light wind at Windmill Point.  3:05 anchor down in Pauls cove.  

28.42 NM

 

day nine - downhill run

Up at 6:00.  A few late night gusts and then calm afterwards.  Sail off anchor 7:05.  Forecast calls for gusts to 25, so double-reefed main and wearing foul weather bib and boots.  Surrounded by trees in the cove it is a slow drift out onto the creek, the 3.0 down Warehouse Creek.  Ahead there is a deadrise working a trot line on Cox Creek.

7:45 on Cox Creek, round up and shake out the second reef.  8:05 shake out the first reef, making 4.2.  8:15 on Eastern Bay, doing 3.2 in choppy water.  9:00 calmer water and sailing south at 3.8 to Poplar Island Narrows.  9:00 wind filling in, making 4.9 with wind on starboard beam.  

9:50 Bloody Point, at the south end of Kent Island, to starboard, 5.2.  10:50 in the lee of Poplar Island, calmer water but still excellent wind.  Think about tucking in a reef, decide it is not needed.  

11:05 off the channel to Kent Narrows a waterman hauls up a trap filled with large blue crabs.  He raises the trap and shouts "Want some?"  I say thank you, but no.  11:50 Black Walnut Point at the south end of Tilghman Island to port.  12:10 I can see Cook Point off the port bow.  Less wind and now almost directly on the stern, making 3.6 to 4.6 depends on the waves rolling down the bay.  

1:05 turn in towards the Little Choptank.  1:30 making 3.8 with wind now on the port quarter.  at 2:10 pass green maker "5" and turn up into the wind.  

Close hauled making 5.3 and make a couple of tacks to Hudson Creek.  3:00 anchor down in tiny little cove with an old house and a cemetery nearby.  

 32.02 NM

day eight - foggy morning

Morning comes with an unexpected and heavy fog.  I try to wait it out but the has more patience than me.  

Eric is the first to go out in his beautiful canoe yawl.  Should I go, should I wait?

As Eric disappears into the grey mist I begin rigging SPARTINA.

Cast off 8:30 as friend Anna says "see you in Chestertown."  I motor through the fleet of boats anchored outside (appropriately named) Fogg Cove, looking for dark shadows along the way.  Past the anchorage and in deep water, sails up at 8:45.  Making 1.2 to the northeast.  Silence on the foggy river save for the sound of rippling water.  9:00 hear the church bells in St. Michaels.  I hear a motor purring, a boat not too far away.  I exchange short blasts with the fog horn.  Jibe to the northwest.  Feel the wake of the unseen vessel.  9:30 see a sailboat under power near green marker "1".  9:45 Deepwater Point to port.  Hear voices in the mist.  10:00 two sailboats and a power boat come and go in the fog.  

10:30 fog lifting.  10:35 bright sunshine!  Look back to see the fog bank sitting comfortably over the river to the south.  11:45 tacking downwind, 1.9.  12:00 light northwest wind arrives, lots of wakes from passing motor boats.  

12:30 struggling with the wind.  Motorsailing, with with wind rippling the surface of Eastern Bay to the south.  1:30 wind arrives, doing 3.0 towards Turkey Point.  Warm and sunny, great sailing.  

2:00 round Turkey Point, 2:20 in Cox Creek.  2:55 turn into Warehouse Creek.  Follow the creek north, then turn to port into a favorite cove surrounded by trees.  Anchor down 3:30.  I put up the boom tent for shade, enjoy the solitude.

 14.15 NM

Days five, six, seven - the small craft festival

Three days in St. Michaels: boats, friends and good food.  What more could I ask for???

 

day four - a short sail to St. Michaels

Wake the diesel of a deadrise, the rocking of the boat as the waterman passes nearby acts as a snooze alert.  Sail off anchor at 6:50, a touch of gold mixed in with the overcast.

0.5 in the cove, making 2.1 as we slip onto Leeds Creek.  A little better wind out on the Miles, sailing downwind to St. Michaels.  

Approaching the docks I see friends Harold and Anna checking out the slips.  It is only Wednesday and the small craft festival is still a couple of days away.

A breakfast muffin at the Blue Crab, then back to the docks to clean up SPARTINA.  

Boats begin to trickle in.  I see Steve arrive on SKEENA midday.  He comments about my early departure.  "Didn't the deadrise wake you?"  He smiles and says no.

The day ends with dinner out with longtime friend Kristen, then a Dark n' Stormy while watching another (losing) playoff game.

 2.11 NM

day three - runner in scoring position

Morning comes with a light rain and strong winds.  The forecast hints of heavy rain later in the day.  No problem, I don't have far to go.  I stay dry and comfortable under the boom tent.  Hot chocolate with breakfast.  Read and relax.

1:25 the rain seems to be gone.  Heavy overcast, breezy but not too bad.  Anchor up.  Full sail out of the creek, passing the "1TC" marker with where two eagles are perched.  

Fall off the wind, 5.4 with wind on the beam.  Hints of blue skies mixed in with dark clouds.   

2:20 Deepwater Point to starboard and the Miles River narrows.  Wind falls, comes back quickly. 

2:30 Fairview Point to port.  I know the shoal extends a couple of hundred yards south of Leeds Creek.  It takes a moment to pick out the channel entrance markers to the south.  Once I reach the marker we turn back up into the wind for a series of tack on Leeds Creek.  Easy and fun sailing on the calm water.  We tuck into the first little cove to port, anchor down 2:55.

I tack a nap, relax under the boom tent.  With the AM radio I listen to a late afternoon playoff game with the Kansas City Royals.  Just after 6:00 the O's have a runner in scoring position and I'm listening intently to the game, the announcers adding to the excitement and the crowd roaring in the background.  And suddenly my eye catches a movement outside the book tent.  I lean back, look outside and see friend Steve with his beautiful Core Sound MK III SKEENA.  He says "What are you doing?  I've been shouting at you for five minutes!"  I laugh, tell him I'm listening to a ball game.  It is good to see him.  We talk for a minute, then he drops back in the cove to anchor.

The O's don't score and it is another loss to the Royals.

 5.9 NM