"When I think of all the fools I've been it's a wonder that I've sailed this many miles." -Guy Clark

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

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

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