day three - south, but not too far south

Wake to calm water at Parks Neck.  Hint of blue sky.  Then glowing orange behind the trees.  The sun!  Nice to see it after a couple of days of grey skies.  

Sail off anchor 7:45 wearing the drysuit, double reef tucked in the main.  A slow drift out of the anchorage.  A couple of gusts carry us out to the strong winds on the the Honga River.  

8:00 making 4.4.  8:40 off Windmill Point, 4.7 in the lower Honga River.  Rough water off of Bishops Head.  9:00 bring down the main, sailing under mizzen and jib.  

9:15 Hooper Strait light in sight.  9:55 passing the marker and entering the strait.  Bloodworth Island off the starboard bow.  Making 4.5 but doesn't feel like it.

Listening to the weather forecast I hear nothing but strong north winds for the next few days.  I begin thinking about anchorages for the night.  Don't want to go as far south as Tangier, it would be a long hard sail back north with the predicted winds.  And Smith Island doesn't offer good anchorages for north winds.  

GPS shows 5.7 in the gusts.  10:50 passing Great Cove Point on the east side of Bloodsworth Island.  Turn south towards South Marsh Island.

11:10 can barely see the low-lying island in the distance.  Three deadrises working crab pots in the shallows between the islands.  Southern tip of Bloodsworth Island to starboard.  11:20 jibe to head southwest around the top of South Marsh Island.  

12:05 Johnson Point just ahead, Pry Cove just around the corner.  Jibe into the calm waters of the cove.  Tuck up into a pool of deep water surrounded by marsh.  Anchor down 12:35.  Set up the boom tent, relax, drift off to sleep.

17.54 NM