I wake to a chilly morning, a thin layer of fog hanging over the Sassafras River, a Hunter's moon hanging in sky. I see Brian casting off his sailing dinghy for his annual row down the Sassafras and and sail back up. He tells me he will stop for a moment at Ordinary Point to scatter some ashes of a favorite cousin. He says wistfully "that will be our last adventure there." I watch as he rows across the still water.
Cast off 7:25, cold and no wind, under power. Not too long before I pass by Brian, we wave goodbye. Ordinary Point at 9:00, full sail in a light west wind. 9:50 a light and shifting wind, making 1.5. 10:00 sailing at 2.2, put on a sweater against the cold. 11:00 no wind, under power. Trees along the shoreline showing red leaves of fall.
Noon rounding Howell Point, tacking into a south wind. Better wind at 1:00, 4.0 tacking out to the edge of the shipping channel then back to show. Pass the beautiful schooner NORTH WIND.
1:15 off Still Pond. 1:20 tack towards the channel, tug with a barge full of containers heads south in the channel. 2:00 off Worton Point. A few more steady tacks into the wind and soon in the channel leading to Fairlee Creek.
The creek has the narrowest of entrance channels and I wonder how bigger boats with deep drafts get through. The tide is running and eddies swirl between the beach and the sand spit. Sails still up I use the outboard for an assist against the tide.
In the creek at 3:30, the wind getting better and better so I keep sailing. Handful of cruises anchored out in the creek and we tack our way back and forth between them. A couple on a high tech catamaran, each with a tall fluted glass in hand, wave as I sail by.
I turn back down the creek to anchor in about four feet of water. After being in the sun all day I set up the boom tent for some shade. Cooking dinner I hear the sound of a small outboard, someone is asking if they can stop by SPARTINA. I poke my head out the back and it is the couple from the catamaran. They come alongside to look at the boat and ask about the trip. They are waiting for some maintenance before heading south to the Bahamas. As they are about to leave I ask them if that was champagne they were drinking in the tall glasses. The man says "yes, but sorry, we drank it all." He laughs and motors away.
26.89 NM
Pasta Roma for dinner
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