Glassy calm morning at the mouth of South Creek. Heavy dew on the boom tent and decks. Anchor up and under power on a pretty but windless morning.
Ruffled water beyond Curtis Point at the mouth of the West River, 7:45. Wind maybe?
Sails up at 8:10, still searching for wind. A waterman in a deadrise works the shallows near the point, hauling in his crab pots as the end of the season is near. I watch the gps speeds as we ghost over the calm Chesapeake Bay....1.5, 1.3, 2.0, 2.3, 2.8.
8:45 motor sailing as we approach the shipping channel. A little wind at 9:00, sailing at 3.0 across the wide channel. No container ships in sight. Steady breeze at 9:45, 4.0 heading SSE. Soon speed drops to 1.8. Looking east I can see crabbers inside of Poplar Island. Making 2.1 at 10:00, motor sailing at 10:15.
Looks to be light or no wind for the rest of the day so head towards Knapp's Narrows to get some fuel. The Marker Five restaurant is just years away from the fuel dock, maybe some lunch too.
Docked noon at the Marker Five. My timing is perfect. Just as I tie to the dock a steady stream of huge power yachts begin to arrive for Sunday lunch. The little wooden yawl gets some skeptical looks as captains with expensive shiny boats look for a place to dock. It's too crowded to get a table on the patio so I grab a seat at the outdoors bar and order a burger and salad from Kathy. She recognizes me from past trips. She is always good at keeping my glass of iced tea refilled.
After lunch I top off the gas can, push off from the dock at 1:00. The bridge over the narrows is already in the middle of a lift. When I radio to the tender for another lift he tells me to keep coming, he'll hold the bridge open for me. How nice.
Wind! Full sail at 1:20. But the wind quickly drops off and we struggle. Then a light yet steady breeze fills in, 2.7 making for a relaxed crossing of the wide Choptank River. A low overcast moves in, feels good to escape the bright sun.
Anchor down Chapel Creek 4:45.
Chicken and Rice for dinner.
24.05 NM
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