day fourteen - north

Cast off from the marina at 7:05 in a sprinkling rain.  There's a steady south wind.  Out of the channel and full sail at 7:20, raising sails while bouncing in rough swells coming up the Bay.  Making 3.8 wing and wing up Poplar Island Narrows.

At 7:50 the sun breaks through the clouds, 3.6 in calmer water.  Two clammers working the narrows.  Blue skies at 8:20 and beautiful sailing.  Off Claiborne, the old ferry port, at 9:25, 4.3, then more wind, 5.3.  

On Eastern Bay at 9:50, 4.2 with a following wind and helping tide.  Schools of menhaden rippling the surface of the water with flashes of copper and silver.

Tilghman Point to the east at 10:00.  Confused water where the Miles River meets Eastern Bay, speed down to 3.4 in the chop.   It always seems a little choppy where those two bodies of water meet.

In Prospect Bay I round up into the wind and bring down all three sails.   There is an 11:30 bridge lift going on, I can see the bridge raised and can hear the Kent Narrows bridge tender talking on channel 13 with the boats coming through.  Bundling the mainsail I look to the west and see three nice catboats headed south in the channel.  I wave but they don't see me.  

In position just south of the bridge, holding in the northbound current, when I radio the bridge tender requesting a noon lift.  About a 10 minute wait before I hear the bells and sirens.  As I pass under the span I radio the bridge tender to say "thank you."  From his perch above he compliments SPARTINA, saying she looks like a real classic.  

Out of the channel on the north side of Kent Narrows at 12:15, full sail with wind just forward of beam, 6.8 kts towards Queenstown Creek.  Sails down at creek entrance channel 1:00.  

Inside the creek I motor to the south then turn to port and tie up at the town dock.  I walk a few blocks to my favorite pizza shop - looking forward to the Bay's best Philly cheesesteak - only to find it closed for the day.  Back on SPARTINA we head north up the creek to Ditchers Cove, a favorite anchorage.  Lunch and then an afternoon nap, waking in time to motor to a dock and visit some friends on a nearby farm.

28.36 NM for the day.