Mariner II: Travel Blog

Two Trips Across the Bay

2011-05-20T09:24:00.004-04:00

Harris Creek

May 7, 2011 - Hours logged: 5.0

May 15, 2011 - Hours logged: 4.0

We're slowly settling into our summer cruising. On the weekend of the 7th, Michele and I got to the boat on Saturday morning, intending to go somewhere nearby and anchor for the night. We were still getting a lot of stuff organized, and I had to replace our anchor light before departing, so no plans to go far. We headed straight across the bay through Knapps Narrows and found a quiet place in Harris Creek. Nice calm conditions for the whole weekend, though thunderstorms started rolling in late on Sunday after our return.

Dad and Anthony were in town last weekend, and we were all hoping to get out on the boat. The weather was pretty crappy on Saturday, so we stayed at home. I took advantage of the time, and Anthony: we put the rack on the car and loaded up the dinghy. Although the forecast wasn't any better for Sunday, we decided to give it a go. We planned a short day trip across the bay to Dun Cove for a little BBQ'ing and swimming. The whole way across, the sky looked gray, dreary, and threatening, like it might rain any minute. As it turned out, the forecast had it wrong: it turned into a beautiful sunny afternoon! We were anchored by 1:30 pm, fired up the grill, and relaxed. After getting back to Shipwright around 6 pm, Anthony helped me carry the dinghy from the car to the boat, get the davits on, and hoist it up. Thanks, Anthony!

View Mariner II - 2011-05-15 in a larger map

Sisterships

2011-05-01T23:17:00.003-04:00

April 30, 2011

Hours logged: 5.75

John's "Tangent" launched on Saturday. We were looking forward to seeing him after a long winter break, so we hopped up to Annapolis and tied up at his dock for a little bit. Mark had shuttled John over to Kentomorr, and was waiting at his home dock, too. After a short visit, we dropped Mark off at Brandywine, and motored slowly up to Clements Creek for the night. Mark joined us, but we were unsuccessful in distracting John from his recommissioning work. :-)

Although the forecast called for pleasant weather, it was sub-50 degrees overnight. I was unprepared for the cold, and had trouble sleeping with just a sheet and light blanket. Despite the cold, this was a long awaited evening! We woke to cool, dreary, drizzly weather. Pancakes helped, but we headed home around noon.

View Mariner II - 2011-04-30 - part 1 in a larger map
View Mariner II - 2011-04-30 - part 2 in a larger map

Shakedown 2011

2011-04-25T09:18:00.002-04:00

April 24, 2011

Hours logged: 3.75

Michele and I had our 10-year wedding anniversary on Thursday, and we took Friday off for a long weekend aboard. But Mother Nature foiled our plan, dealing us some really nasty weather on Friday and Saturday. The sun finally arrived on Sunday, so we picked up some sandwiches and headed for the boat, planning to just do a short shakedown and drift around Herring Bay for a little while.

When we were heading out, Mark called and asked if we'd like to meet in the Rhode River. We met around 2:30 pm, and left at 4:30 pm. Wind had really picked up, and NWS warned of thunderstorms, but everyone made it back safely. Two- to three-footers made for a wet trip back to Shipwright.

And there it is: the first (albeit brief) raft-up of 2011!

View Mariner II - 2011 in a larger map

Recap of 2010 Season

2011-03-06T19:16:00.006-05:00

2010 Hours Logged: 113.25

The 2010 season was unusual in that we had relatively little work to do in the spring, but we got started late anyway due to other obligations. Our first real weekend on the water didn't happen until May 15, a full one month later than normal, despite having the boat ready in early April.

The season also ended a bit early. I had back surgery for a herniated disk in early December, so we made sure the boat was decomissioned and covered before I was decomissioned... Mariner 2 was on the hard November 15th. I'm happy to say that I had my last physical therapy appointment this week, and I'm feeling strong and ready for 2011.

Our 2010 activities:

April 30, 2010: Shakedown - short cruise around Herring Bay. Hours logged: 1.0
May 15, 2010: BCYC Blessing of the Fleet in Minnow Creek, off Whitehall Bay. Hours logged: 5.5
May 22, 2010: Cape Dory raft-up, once again organized by Mark Cline. Great time up in Valentine Creek, Little Round Bay, and hosted by Cascadas owners Jim and Karen. Lauren (Michele's cousin, my cousin-in-law) came down from Baltimore and spent the night aboard with us. Hours logged: 7.0
May 28-30, 2010: For Memorial Day weekend, Knapps Narrows on Friday night, then Hudson Creek in the Little Choptank, then Slaughter Creek. Mark went well out of his way to join us at Taylor Island Marina in Slaughter Creek. We loved Hudson Creek - very pretty. Need to do a little more exploring in the Little Choptank. Unfortunately, Taylor Island Marina wasn't much to see. Nothing wrong per se, but we don't need to rush back. Hours logged: 7.75
June 5, 2010: Anchored at Tilghman Point. Hours logged: 4.5
June 11, 2010: Solomons. We left late on Friday evening, so the last 90 minutes of the trip there were in the dark. And it was DARK, as there was no moonlight. We anchored well up into St. John Creek for the night. We had never been up in there before. It was a little nerve-wracking in the dark, and interesting to look it over in the morning to see what we had passed by the night before. We stayed Saturday night at Zanheiser's. Nice, and closer to town, but we still like Spring Cove Marina better. On Sunday, we briefly crossed paths with a few of the early arrivals from the BCYC annual cruise. Hours logged: 7.5
June 19, 2010: Baby Owl Cove, Broad Creek, in the Choptank. Hours logged: 6.0
July 2-5, 2010: Rafted overnight with Mark at his dock in Back Creek, en route to Baltimore for the holiday. The PA gang (John, Cindy, Tommy, Laura) met us there in the morning, and we set off for Anchorage Marina in Baltimore Inner Harbor. We joined Courtney and friends at her dock for the fireworks, and returned to Shipwright on the 5th, via Back Creek to drop off the gang at their car. Hours logged: 10.5
July 10, 2010: Anchored overnight in the Rhode River. I think Mark may have met us there? Hours logged: 4.0
July 17, 2010: Knapps Narrows Marina on Tilghman Island, with Laura. Hours logged: 4.0
July 25, 2010: We joined Mark (Brandywine) and John Sanderson (Tangent) at Kentmorr Marina on Sunday. We had Michele's annual Coast Guard picnic on Saturday, so we weren't able to get to Kentmorr until Sunday. Kentmorr was a nice little surprise - a nice marina, beach with bartender, decent restaurant... overall a very nice facility and very close to home for us. We stayed overnight, and departed at 5am for home so we could get to work on time. I had been expected flat calm water that early, but we got 2-footers instead. Only problem: the Kentmorr Marina website at the time still indicated that they have a pool, but it had long since been filled in and the area used for additional bar seating. Michele was NOT happy. Hours logged: 3.0
July 31, 2010: For Clue's summer visit, we headed up to the Bay Bridge Marina intending to spend lots of time at the poolside bar, and then move to Hemingway's for dinner and Lola's for drinks. Great time, as usual. Rumor around the dock was that the marina had bought out Hemingway's / Lola's, and that they were planning to close it down. There seemed to be a lot of uncertainty about the future of these establishments, but it's hard to believe anyone would consider closing them down, based on the crowd we always see. Both have to be money makers. Last we heard in late 2010, they were both still open. I hope they stay that way; it's fun there. Hours logged: 5.0
August 7, 2010: Wye East River. That's all I wrote down, and I can't remember anything else about the weekend! Hours logged: 5.5
August 28, 2010: We were on vacation the two prior weekends (Duck, NC). Stayed close to home, easy trip to Dun Cove. Hours logged: 3.5
September 4-6, 2010: Happy Birthday, Cindy! John and Cindy came down for Labor Day weekend, and we headed down to Spring Cove Marina in Solomons. They stayed on the boat with us this time. We discovered some "live" music at the Tiki Bar, as well as the cigar shop. Great time, as usual, with this group! Two- to three-foot following seas on Monday for the return trip, which was fun, despite the struggle that can bring at the helm. Hours logged: 7.5
September 11, 2010: This weekend started our month long visit to Mark's marina in Back Creek. Our hope was to use the more northern location to explore areas farther north, while at the same time, shortening the travel for Courtney, who was building head cabinetry and teak coaming for our cockpit. Spent the night in Clement's Creek, then move the boat to the dock in Back Creek. Hours logged: 4.0
September 18-19, 2010: Despite some desire to explore, we spent two more nights in Clement's Creek, with Mark. It was a great decision, as we were all very much in need of a low-stress, relaxing weekend. Being on a mooring in a nice quite creek close by was just right. We had planned only one night, but it was so nice we decided to stay a second night, and again awoke early to return to the dock (in the dark) at 5 am. It was every bit worth it. Hours logged: 1.5
September 25, 2010: I had been itching to spend a night on a mooring in Spa Creek, something we hadn't done before. Michele and I left work in a hurry on Friday, picked up a terrific take-out dinner from The Main Ingredient, and rushed over to a mooring ball inside the bridge, before dark. As it happened, Shawn Geraghty and his family were aboard Soft Shell just two moorings away. We chatted briefly in the morning, and then returned to the dock in Back Creek to meet Tommy, Laura, Sophia, and Myla who came down for the night. We returned to the mooring, took the water taxi over to the city dock for lunch, and then back home. We all drove back to DC and spent the night at the house. Hours logged: 4.0
October 2, 2011: Another new spot, courtesy of Mark who is much more familiar with the Severn River area. Michele was away, so Mark and I (and Lola) rafted together in Rideout Creek, pretty close by. Hours logged: 2.0
October 9-11, 2011: Cast off early (7am) for a long cruise north with Mark to Georgetown, MD in the Sassafras River. We had been hoping for a longer weekend (something like 4 nights), but we were stuck with just two nights available. We made the best of it, with dinner at Kitty Knight House, and a bike ride into "town" on Sunday. We left after a late breakfast, bound for Rock Hall, where we anchored for a night in picturesque, though slightly crowded, Swann Creek. But crowded in a good way... a popular, calm, refuge for many pretty boats. Back to Shipwright the next morning, after a month away. We returned to find that someone had stolen our dock lines. :-( I guess we should have taken them with us... at least we took our power cord with us. Hours logged: 12.5
October 23, 2011: With the weather getting too cold for Michele's enjoyment, it was time for my annual cold-weather cruise with Chris. Only it turned out beautiful... 50's and pleasant. Cambridge Municipal Marina for night one. Dinner at Jimmie and Sook's. Slept late, then wandered around the Tall Ships (coincidentally in Cambridge at the same time), while Clue slept even later to recover from the festivities. Late in the afternoon, we moved on to La Trappe Creek for a nice night at anchorage. Upon return to Shipwright, we disassembled the dinghy, packed it up, and put in the roof rack to bring it home for the winter. Michele was very thankful that she didn't have to participate in that activity, and we were both thankful for Chris's help. Hours logged: 8.5

One other "event" worthy of mention: On the evening of September 30, 2010, my father was in town just for the night, en route to NY. The remnants of a tropical storm were passing through the mid-atlantic area, and heavy rain was falling throughout the area. Mariner II was still in Back Creek, on the floating dock at Mark's marina. Around 6pm-ish, I got an urgent call from Mark that the water level was so high that the boats were in danger. In the blinding rain, I made record time getting out to Annapolis to help move the boats. Mark already had Brandywine moved to a fixed slip, and helped me move Mariner II next. Not fun moving them in the driving rain, in the dark, but we got it done. I checked in on Tangent (in a nearby marina); water was over the dock there, but she looked ok. It's a good thing we moved the boats, because the floating dock broke that night. Thank you, Mark, for that phone call! I owe you one.

Well, that's a wrap for 2010.

If I can get the maintenance section of this blog in order reasonably quickly, I'll try to post some pictures here from these trips.

Blog Changes

2011-03-06T16:31:00.002-05:00

I probably should post a recap of 2010 before the 2011 season gets underway, but before that, here are a couple interesting notes (interesting to me, at least...).

Last spring (April 2010), I dumped my increasingly unreliable Windows Mobile phone for a new Android-based HTC Incredible. I had to sacrifice ActiveCaptain, because they didn't (and still don't) have a version for Android, but the new smartphone is well worth the change.

Android phones require a Google account for full "cloud" integration. So, one consequence of the change was that I decided to establish my own Google Apps domain, "mariner2.net", rather than get a generic Google account. I registered the domain through Google, changed over all my email, and moved the blog pages to the new domain. You may have noticed that if you pointed your browser to http://trawlerjoe.blogspot.com, you were automatically transfered to www.mariner2.net. I've been impressed by all the seamless integration, and by how easy everything is compared to my old phone & hotmail account.

With my new phone, the GPS functionality is easily accessible. And with it, one new feature that I really like is Google's My Tracks. Although the mapping feature for Tracks doesn't include any navigational markers on the water, it does a nice job of logging the track as well as various trip-related data like total time, moving time, average and max speed, etc. I can upload tracks directly from the phone to make them accessible to others on the web. I hope to use this feature more in 2011, and link my blog posts directly to the track data rather than manually enter details such as hours logged.

Now, time for that recap...

Recap of Remaining 2009 Weekends

2011-03-06T16:11:00.001-05:00

Hours logged: 36.0

Wow, it is SO much easier to post brief updates and pictures to Facebook than it is to keep up a blog. Facebook combined with my laziness has nearly left this blog for dead...

So this is what it has come to: bullet-point posts to recap numerous weekends. Sigh -- well, better than nothing I guess.

September 4-6, 2009 (Labor Day weekend): Michele and I really wanted to get away and just relax, alone. We went to Bay Bridge Marina, mostly because it seems resort-ish, and I heard the sunset and live music at Hemingway's / Lola's Sunset Grill are pretty and fun. We enjoyed every bit of it. Lola (our cat, no relation to Lola's Sunset Grill!) jumped off the flybridge while we were docking! Hours logged: 6.0
September 12-13, 2009: Michele and I anchored near Baby Owl Cove, off Broad Creek, in the Choptank on Saturday. We sailed the in the pram and generally just enjoyed being out. Stayed Sunday night at Knapps Narrows Marina, returned home on Monday. Hours logged: 5.0
September 20, 2009: We spent Saturday at a picnic with Michele's coworkers from the Coast Guard, so no boating. On Sunday, we cruised over to Bay Hundred at Knapps Narrows for lunch with Carlos and Ali. Hours logged: 3.0
October 13, 2009: Oxford with Mark. Great dinner as usual at Latitude 38. Hours logged: 6.0
October 17-19, 2009: Boat show weekend with Chris! Stayed two nights at Annapolis City Marina, and connected up with Mark and Michele for a while for the boat show. Plans were to spend one night in St. Michaels, but weather was so nasty on Saturday, and gale warnings were posted for Sunday. Moved on to Clements Creek for a night on a mooring. We actually checked out Hopkins Creek off Little Round Bay first, which is pretty well protected, but we felt a little too conspicuous as there are a few houses very close. Hours logged: 6.5
October 31, 2009: Anchored with Mark in the Wye River. Dropped in on St. Michaels on Sunday for a short while. It was rainy, but we strolled around a bit anyway. Mark stayed there Sunday night while we moved on to home. Hours logged: 6.5
November 8, 2009: Bay Hundred restaurant with Michele's parents. Hours logged: 3.0

That was it for 2009! There are a couple gaps in there:

9/26: Michele was down at the Outer Banks, and I didn't take the boat out. Can't remember why I didn't.
10/3: weekend the weather didn't cooperate.
10/25: rebedded our leaking stanchions, then went to Skipper's on Sunday.

Maintenance and winterization work extended into early December.

Cape Dory Raftup 2009

2009-09-02T07:34:00.004-04:00

Clements Creek, 8/29/2009
39° 01.03’ N
076° 32.11’ W
Hours logged: 5.5

We had planned to stay at the dock, nursing our damaged deck and loose stanchions, but an impromptu Cape Dory 28 raftup (led by Brandywine, of course) convinced us to break out the duct tape and do what we could to get underway. Attending were Dulcinea, Cascadas, Brandywine, Diversion, Whiteout, and Mariner II. (And let's not forget the official event photography boat, m/v Cosmo.) After a fun afternoon, Cascadas, Diversion, and Whiteout set out for home, and the rest of us stayed overnight.

A nice surprise: No jellyfish! We were able to spend some time in the water on both Saturday and Sunday. And... drumroll please... we launched and sailed our new Eastport Pram for the first time! (Thanks for the pictures, Mark!)

Back Creek

2009-08-17T10:19:00.002-04:00

Back Creek (Annapolis)
8/14 - 8/15/2009
38° 57.39' N
76° 29.13' W
Hours logged: 4.0

Just back from Annapolis yesterday. I took Friday off from work to get busy installing our new dinghy davits, with Mark's help. Michele had to work, so I packed up the car and left for the marina early Friday morning, and made my way up to Mark's dock to raft with Brandywine while we did the install. It was more convenient to do it there, because his house is close by, giving us access to more tools, including his table saw for cutting backing boards, etc.

I had never been that far into Back Creek before. Pretty amazing! You can't count the boats (yachts!), and the creek narrows to a serene, picturesque, waterfront escape. The great blue heron above seems to have made it's home nearby Mark's dock.

Michele joined us at his place on Friday afternoon when she got out of work. We stayed with Mark at his dock until Sunday morning. Michele and I went back to Shipwright aboard the boat, where we relaxed by the pool for the rest of the day. We hung out with Carlos and Ali, had dinner, and then finally retrieved the car from Mark's marina at about 10 pm!

I'll post pictures soon of the davit install and canvas making over on the maintenance blog!

Happy Birthday Michele

2009-08-10T07:15:00.002-04:00

Tilghman-on-Chesapeake, 8/8/2009
38° 42.60' N
76° 19.75 W
Hours logged: 4.5

The girls en route to their Tilghman Island destination for Michele's birthday.

(Thanks, Mark, for getting the photo!)

Wet

2009-08-03T07:17:00.007-04:00

Wye River, 8/1/2009
38° 52.98' N
76° 10.72' W
Hours logged: 5.5

We've just returned from a fun, and wet, trip to the Wye River for a BCYC raft-up. The club organized the raft up, planning to meet in the cove just east of Drum Point in the Wye River. The forecast was calling for calm weather all weekend, though a bit warm for a raft-up. The middle bay is thick with sea nettles already, so swimming to escape the heat is not an option either. Unless...

Michele has really been eyeing a "Nettle Net". They're expensive -- very expensive. But we've given it a lot of thought, and decided to take the plunge, so to speak. We really enjoy anchoring in quiet coves as a way to "get away" for the weekend, but during the summer, we can't escape the heat. So we end up staying in marinas where we can run the air conditioner and swim in a pool. If the nettle net works out, perhaps we can save the marina fees occasionally, which can run $50-75/night. That would pay for the net pretty quickly...

Um, yeah, not working out very well, so far! We couldn't get the net to retain its shape. To be fair, the instructions warn about the very condition we were encountering: opposing wind and current. The wind keeps the anchored boat facing one direction (into the wind), while the current pushes the net under the boat. Only remedy is to wait for more favorable current. Eh, we'll try again another day, I guess.

We cleaned up and then joined the rest of the boats at the raft-up. It was a lot of fun -- plenty of food and drink of course, and as a bonus, we got a tour of "Compass Rose", a Kadey-Krogen (our "dream boat"). Caught this lovely sunset during the course of the evening. This red sky at night bodes well for tomorrow, right?

Hey, wait a minute...

I woke briefly at 6:30 am to this fog. I went back to bed, hoping it would clear in a few hours. By the time I got up again, the fog had mostly cleared, but the forecast had deteriorated sharply. People were packing up and heading out quickly, and we did the same. As we left Eastern Bay, we ran into a severe thunderstorm. The wind had picked up, waves were building, and lightning was just about all we could see in the pounding rain and minimal visibility. We chatted on the radio briefly with Brandywine and Compass Rose, both of whom said the weather radar looked a little clearer following the storm... The trip was a bit of a nail-biter for a little while, but the weather did indeed clear, and we were home by 2pm-ish.

Annapolis Landing

2009-07-30T09:16:00.004-04:00

Annapolis Landing, 7/25/2009
38° 57.96' N
76° 28.73' W
Hours logged: 5.0

We were out Friday evening for Michele's friend Martina's birthday, so we got a late start on Saturday again this week... which is just fine with us. I had been thinking about going to Annapolis, mainly because Nicole Atkins was opening for Aimee Mann at the Rams Head, and I thought it might be fun to see them. The show was sold out, and tickets were more than we cared to spend. We ended up in Annapolis anyway, and got together for dinner with Mark, his sister Leslie, and their friend Katherine.

There was a small craft advisory posted for both Saturday and Sunday, with south winds each day. On Saturday, we had 2- to 3-footers pushing us up the bay with an outgoing tide -- poorly timed on our part. We stayed at Annapolis Landing marina on Back Creek. Nice place (and they have a pool), though a little pricey, especially with the 35' minimum. Pretty irritating to have to pay for an extra 7' of boat length to meet their minimum... probably won't do that very often, though we might try it for the boat show in October -- the water taxi runs right to their dock.

Sunday return trip was relatively calm, despite the small craft advisory. We were back in plenty of time to enjoy the pool again. We stretched the day into evening, having dinner aboard the boat before returning home: seared tuna steaks, salad, and corn-on-the-cob. Mmm!

Dun Cove

2009-07-29T22:15:00.001-04:00

Dun Cove, 7/18/2009
38° 44.49' N
76° 19.04' W
Hours logged: 4.0

So much activity during our vacation left us feeling like we needed a little "downtime" (hey, wait a minute... isn't vacation supposed to be downtime?). We slept late Saturday, got to the boat late, and then secluded ourselves as much as possible in nearby Dun Cove. Nothing much to report, which is just what we needed. Returned Sunday afternoon and enjoyed a little pool time before heading home.

Home

2009-07-27T18:11:00.002-04:00

Shipwright Harbor, 7/11/2009
Hours logged: 3.75

What would possibly motivate us to end our trip a day early, on Saturday instead of Sunday? Tickets to the Billy Joel / Elton John show at Nationals Stadium in DC!

Weather was a little less appealing for the final leg of our journey, but still reasonable. We timed the current pretty poorly, however. At maximum ebb, our trip up the bay from Solomons was a bit of a struggle. We arrived at our home slip around 1 pm, and eventually made our way back to DC a few hours before the show. Thenm, off to dinner and the concert!

Homeward: Familiar Surroundings

2009-07-27T07:12:00.001-04:00

Solomons, 7/10/2009
38° 20.118 N
076° 27.631 W
Hours logged: 4.0

At the tail end of a long journey, Michele and I love to stop at familiar, comfortable place. We persuaded Mark to go to one of our favorites, Spring Cove Marina in Solomons. The slips and the fairway are a little tight, but on the whole, it's a really nice place.

On our arrival, we tended to ship's business (refueled, refilled the water tanks, pumped out, did a load of laundry), and then relaxed by the pool for a while. A tasty meal at DiGiovannis Dock of the Bay capped off a terrific trip, just a few hours from home.

Homeward: Underway Again

2009-07-26T22:12:00.001-04:00

Port Kinsale, 7/9/2009
38° 01.889 N
076° 33.455 W
Hours logged: 4.0

Still slogging through the posts from vacation... I think I need to figure out how to blog as I go, so this doesn't happen!

Anyway, a gasket replacement solved the overheating problem, so we got underway again on Thursday morning. Port Kinsale Marina and Resort was next, with the plan to enjoy their pool and restaurant. It didn't seem much like a "resort" to me, but it's a pretty nice facility. From what we heard, there's not much of a town there for activities. We loved "The Mooring" restaurant. It is definitely worth a visit. They have special events each weeknight, including a raw bar & BBQ special on Thursday.

One problem, however, was that our slips were very exposed to the Yeocomico River fetch, and stern-to at that (though, to be fair, the dockmaster had recommended the facing slips, so we'd have been bow-to the fetch had we heeded their advice). Strong winds throughout the night made for a very, very turbulent night. I was out of bed a couple times checking lines and fenders, and hardly slept the whole night. So, although I'd certainly stop in for a meal at The Mooring, I'll think twice before spending the night.

Homeward: Towed In!

2009-07-23T18:32:00.002-04:00

Colonial Beach, 7/8-7/9/2009
38° 13.890' N
076° 57.869' W
Hours logged: 5.5

As you can see from the photos, today ended badly.

We left Mattawoman Creek in the morning with plans for a slow cruise back to Colonial Beach for one night before continuing on. Before leaving, I opened up the sea strainer to clean it, since the area was covered in weeds when we arrived. That was a fateful decision.

For a couple hours during our trip south, we overheard a Navy range boat hailing every vessel approaching the Navy's firing range at Indian Head, guiding them around the active range. It wasn't a big surprise when they hailed our little "flotilla" as we approached the 301 bridge, routing us along the north side of the river all the way to Cobb Point before allowing us to cross south -- an extra hour on our journey at least. Mark responded from Brandywine, and he led the way around the north perimeter of the range. It was quite a show: frequent explosions and plumes of water a mile or so off our starboard bow!

Eventually, I decided to shorten the remainder of the voyage, and throttled up to 11 knots. Within minutes, the engine alarm was blaring; we had overheated. I shut down the engine and did a quick visual check, but nothing appeared out-of-the-ordinary. It was getting late, so rather than risk being disabled after business hours, I radioed TowBoatUS. They dispatched immediately, estimating 45 minutes to our position. Mark stood by while I checked the obvious culprits: strainer not clogged, impeller looked fine. Michele warned that we were drifting into shallows (heh, better than drifting into the firing range!), so she took a line from Brandywine, and like a good friend, Mark kept us in safe water. Also like a good friend, he stood by with the camera when the tow boat arrived... ;-)

The tow boat operator was fantastic -- professional and clearly skilled. He towed us the remaining 5 miles or so into Colonial Beach, and we settled in for a drink and dinner, planning to diagnose the problem in the morning.

Homeward: Mattawoman Creek

2009-07-23T16:30:00.000-04:00

Mattawoman Creek, 7/6/2009 38° 33.513' N | 077° 11.825' W Hours logged: 4.0

We originally intended to set out for home on Sunday afternoon, the day after the 4th. We were feeling lazy and tired (read: hungover), so we stayed an extra night at James Creek. On Monday, we traveled at a leisurely pace, around 8 knots, for about half a day. Mark got a head start on us that morning, so we found him anchored (and napping) in Mattawoman Creek. The creek was covered with weeds, grass, and algae when we arrived, but nonetheless, it was a nice, relaxing evening. Even Lola enjoyed the sunset.

Fireworks!

2009-07-22T20:54:00.007-04:00

Independence Day 2009
38° 53.380' N | 077° 03.463' W
Hours logged: 3.0

Well, the big day is here! Pennsylvania friends and our usual July 4th companions Tommy, Laura, John, and Cindy came down early. We invested some time in organizing all the food and drink, and then cast off around 11 am for a long day on the water.

We motored slowly up the Potomac, taking in the sights. There was an organized viewing area between the SW freeway bridges and the Arlington Memorial Bridge, but we continued past for a brief tour of the Georgetown waterfront, and then anchored at the southeast end of Roosevelt Island, with a fantastic view of the Lincoln Memorial. Seeing the fireworks over the monuments, especially from the water, is quite an experience.

There were a number of... well, let's say "inexperienced"... boaters causing some chaos in the anchorage, but by-and-large the event was civilized. The area was well-patrolled all day by the Coast Guard, Park Police, and other law enforcement. Even the post-fireworks exodus was tolerable, and certainly not as bad as I had feared. Thanks to all those tending to our nation's security!

As for the rest, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Click through to each one to see a full-size view!

Knuckleheads

2009-07-22T20:38:00.005-04:00

Old Town, 7/2/2009
38° 48.289' N | 077° 02.343' W
Hours logged: 1.0

If it's Thursday night, it's poker night! Since the boat is right here in DC, I took fellow knuckleheads Adam, Brad, Alex, John, Navin out for a quick dinner cruise followed by poker aboard the boat when we returned to the slip.

We shoved off around 7:45 pm. I knew that Old Town Alexandria has a city dock offering temporary dockage, but I hadn't looked in to it. I figured if it came down to it, we could just return to the marina hungry and order a pizza. When we reached the city dock, I hailed the Alexandria Dockmaster, and was pleased that they answered immediately: $11 up to 4 hours, and they were staffed until 9pm. We had dinner at Mai Thai, then returned to the boat for the short trip home in the dark. To my dismay, the port side nav light was burned out! Damn, I just checked everything and had our CG Aux Courtesy exam last week! Well, it was a short trip and a moonlit night, so I proceeded without it. No problems, never even saw another boat.

Poker game went til 12:30 am as usual. Also learned that 6 players is definitely the limit for our cabin!

Last Hop: DC!

2009-07-01T08:22:00.004-04:00

Coast Guard Headquarters & James Creek Marina

Washington, DC, 6/28/2009
38° 51.775' N | 077° 00.855' W
Hours logged: 6.5

We arrived in DC mid-afternoon on Sunday! Together with Brandywine, we cast off around 8 am. Again, we kept to about 8 knots, conserving fuel carefully with plans to stop at Aqualand Marina, 10 nautical miles upriver and barely a diversion from our charted course. Aqualand isn't much to look at, and I'm wary of the quality of diesel we put in the tank. But diesel we needed, and diesel we got: almost 65 gallons in a 72 gallon tank.

While we fueled, Brandywine continued up the Potomac. With a full tank of fuel, a favorable current, and calm but drizzly conditions, we increased our cruising speed, easily making 11+ knots without pushing the engine too hard. We finally caught up to Brandywine near Quantico, a few hours later, and we led the way to DC from there.

Brandyine, near Quantico, VA

Michele, piloting through Mt. Vernon
and Alexandria waters

George Washington's estate at Mt. Vernon

We dropped down to idle speed
as Fairfax County Fire & Rescue sped past.
They were really moving!

The new Woodrow Wilson Bridge span for I-95

I suppose this is "Port of Alexandria" that Jack Bauer rescued on "24"? LOL

Washington Monument and Capitol Building barely visible in the distance

Second Hop to DC: Colonial Beach, VA

2009-07-01T08:16:00.003-04:00

Point No Point Lighthouse

Colonial Beach, 6/27/2009
38° 13.890' N
076° 57.869' W
Hours logged: 8.0

Saturday was a long day of cruising. Our plan was to be underway early, and make roughly half of the remaining distance. Having burned too much diesel on Friday, we were also closely monitoring fuel, so we kept to slower speeds for the majority of the day. That put us in Colonial Beach, VA around 5 pm, including a short visit with Mike & Steph at their dock in Tidwells, VA.

The rest of the trip down to the Potomac was terrific. We departed at around 8am, taking advantage of the tidal current, which boosted our speed a bit and kept our fuel consumption down. Mark had started out about 10-15 minutes ahead of us, and we followed his course down past Point No Point and Point Lookout. Once in the Potomac, the chop increased a bit, but we still had pretty nice conditions most of the way.

Lola, our cat, may be the only cat with separation anxiety. We'd leave her in the wheelhouse, only to hear her loud, sad meows all the way up on the bridge. So, since we were keeping our speed to 8 knots, we tried bringing her up on the bridge. That did the trick: She settled in for a long nap on our canvas underneath the helm.

Around noon, we were in touch with Mike & Steph, who keep their Marinette 32 "Akua" at his parents' dock in Tidwells, VA. Mark continued on to Colonial Beach, while we met up with them near Coles Point, and followed them in to the dock and visited for a while. Great opportunity to see them there; wish we could have stayed longer.

An afternoon head wind made the last hour or so up to Colonial Beach Yacht Center a little bouncy and wet, but nothing difficult. Our hope was to get there by 5 pm closing time to take on diesel. Around 4:30 pm, I called ahead to advise of our impending arrival, only to find out that they decided to close early and go home. I made a brief plea for diesel, but the person I spoke to was not concerned about our fuel problems. His only concerns seemed to center around collecting payment from us for dockage, and leaving work early. Oh well, looks like fuel will have to wait... We were pretty low by the time we reached Colonial Beach -- about 9 gallons remaining -- yikes! Diesel is top priority for the morning.

First Hop To DC: Solomons

2009-06-30T21:41:00.002-04:00

Clouds obscuring our sunset near Cove Point LNG facility.

Solomons, 6/26/2009
38° 19.838' N
076° 27.384' W
Hours logged: 3.5

We began our journey to DC on Friday evening. For those unfamiliar with the Chesapeake and the Potomac, the journey to DC from our area south of Annapolis begins with a southbound cruise to the mouth of the Potomac river. We wanted to get started on Friday, so that Saturday and Sunday wouldn't be such long days.

Mark (aboard Brandywine) arrived in Solomons early in the afternoon. Confined to our desks until 4 pm, Michele and I got a later start. I picked up Michele and the cat in DC, and we headed out to Shipwright Harbor, leaving one car near James Creek Marina for when we complete the trip. A little after 5:30 pm, we were suffering the afternoon heat, but we were just about ready to go. We took a few minutes to cool off in the pool, and were underway by 6pm.

With thunderstorms approaching, Mark opted for the floating dock at Calvert Marina, and we opted to push our speed in an attempt to beat the storms and arrive before dark. We made it, barely; the storm was just beginning to light up the sky when we arrived. We also burned about 24 gallons of diesel! Ouch. Must... slow... down...

Trip Prep

2009-06-25T00:40:00.000-04:00

Herrington Harbour South, 6/21/2009
Hours logged: 1.25

Strong winds and thunderstorms kept us at the dock most of the weekend. We spent most of Saturday getting some chores done on the boat, but we had enough clear weather Sunday morning to make a quick trip down to HHS for fuel, and hit the pumpout on the way back. Dock neighbors Rob & Paula (aboard "Moonstruck") joined us for the short ride.

Chores on Saturday included filter changes, cleaning, and installing a new screen on the starboard window. All this in preparation for our journey up the Potomac to DC next weekend (with Mark -- he'll soon be sick of us!), where we'll keep the boat for a week, including July 4th celebrations! Oh, and Happy Birthday Mark!

Michele, Unleashed!

2009-06-25T00:38:00.002-04:00

Knapps Narrows, 6/13 - 6/14, 2009 Hours logged: 4.0

Michele will have to fill in the details. While I was off visiting Chris in Chattanooga, Michele took her friend Lina to Knapps Narrows! All went well, apparently, except that Michele apparently doesn't like the amount of advice men seem to provide when they see a woman at the helm. ;-)

Thanks, Lina, for the pictures (lifted from Facebook)!

Wait For It...

2009-06-25T00:31:00.000-04:00

Rhode River, Tilghman Point, May 29-31 Hours logged: 5.0

Again, no specific plans. Mark had no specific plans either, so we got in touch and decided to meet at Half Moon Bay in the Rhode River on Friday evening. Severe thunderstorms kept us waiting at the dock until 7:30pm. The forecast called for clearing skies, and radar backed that up, so we cast off our lines (and our concerns). Clear skies indeed arrived, and we were treated to a beautiful sunset as we entered the Rhode. I'm sorry I didn't have my camera out!

We planned to meet Courtney the next morning in Galesville to review nameboard designs for Mariner II. After a quick morning swim, we untied, and Mark joined us aboard our boat to go meet Courtney. We left Brandywine anchored and alone in the Rhode, but she did fine. Following that, we crossed the bay to one of our favorite, lovely, small, private, relatively unknown anchorages inside Tilghman Point. More swimming, a nice afternoon, but CROWDED! OK, who shared our secret??

After an early morning serious thunderstorm, Mark moved on to St. Michaels while Michele and I made our way home.

Mark's approach at Tilghman Point

Here Kitty, Kitty

2009-06-02T17:08:00.005-04:00

Knapps Narrows, Broad Creek, 5/22 - 5/25/2009
Hours logged: 6.0

Memorial Day weekend, we had no specific plans other than meeting up with Brandywine at Knapps Narrows on Friday night... and introducing our new cat "Lola" to the boat!

Work kept me much later than I had hoped on Friday, so it was dusk by the time we arrived. Winds were kicking up a bit, which made for a bumpy crossing -- not a great introduction for Lola, but she did ok. Mark was aboard Brandwine at the floating dock, behind his friend Jane (aboard s/v "Me Jane") and her visiting friend. We fired up the grill (probably not allowed!), put some steaks on, and enjoyed a nice meal with Mark. On Saturday, they all left for Oxford, and we wandered over to Broad Creek to anchor for the night. Weather was iffy on Sunday, and since we had the cat aboard, we wanted to stick close to home. So we returned to Knapps for another evening, and some fine dining at Tilghman Island Inn.

Although we had planned to pump out the holding tank at Shipwright on Friday afternoon, we postponed due to our late start, planning to tackle that chore at Knapps the following morning. The pumpout at Knapps' was broken, of course. By the time we left Broad Creek, we were pretty desperate. It turns out that Tilghman-On-Chesapeake Marina has a very convenient, and free, pumpout facility just outside their breakwall. Need to remember that!

The cat settled in fine by the end of the weekend, exploring the cabin, playing, sleeping, and eating -- her normal routine. She doesn't like it when we're under way, but otherwise, she seems fine. Salty Cat!

Family (Not Ours)

2009-04-25T17:24:00.001-04:00

Lake Ogleton, 4/25/2009
Hours logged: 4.0

Michele and I toiled away today, replacing the sanitation hose aboard Mariner II. Although that meant a late start with few provisions, we still managed to escape the dock overnight. Mark had some family aboard Brandywine, so we set a course for Annapolis to meet them.

With Mark, Leslie, her husband Scott, and their two kids Trey and Lane, they were a bit too crowded aboard Brandywine to plan an overnight. We offered to share our guest berth, so we all rafted overnight in Lake Ogleton at the mouth of the Severn (how is this a lake?), and Mark took our guest berth.

It was a great to be out on the bay again!

Shakedown 2009

2009-04-18T17:02:00.000-04:00

Herring Bay, 4/18/2009
Hours logged: 1.0

Just out to Green "1" in Herring Bay and back. Batteries are ok, engine is running smoothly. Lots of work to do... so back to the slip!

Oxford with Barb and Dick

2009-03-15T05:30:00.000-04:00

Oxford, 10/11/2008

Hours logged: 5.0

With Michele's parents, we hopped over to Oxford for the night. The sunny, pleasant, but chilly forecast had us looking forward to a nice walk around the park and the strand. We had, in the past, hoped to bypass Mears Yacht Haven, and stay further down the creek at Oxford Town Creek. We had no luck contacting anyone there or figuring out where to tie up, but I was very determined this time.

A handful of empty slips at Oxford Yacht Agency looked appealing, and although we couldn't reach anyone to ask permission, I decided to take our chances there anyway. Oxford is a friendly town, and I guessed we would be welcomed if anyone even noticed. If nobody noticed, I planned to contact them on Monday and send a check for whatever fee they might have. As it happened, someone greeted us a while later, chatted for a bit, and collected a nominal slip fee. He recognized our boat as a Cape Dory, and mentioned their work on "Irish Mist", a brokerage boat at their yard. In addition, he let us tour a beautifully restored Grand Banks they were preparing to place on the market. (Must... not... buy... another... boat...)

We sat outside at Schooner's for a casual dinner. By sunset, the temperature was really dropping, and we wrapped up fairly quickly and headed for the boat. The slip we chose lacked shore power, unfortunately, so heat was not an option. We knew we were in for a chilly night, but we figured the boat would stay warm enough inside (and it did, barely). Coffee in the morning, more walking, and a leisurely trip home.

Cosmo And Friends

2009-01-10T13:01:00.017-05:00

Broad Creek, 10/4/2008
Hours logged: 5.0

We had no set plans for the weekend following our vacation, so we were pleased when Mark suggested we meet in Broad Creek and raft up with Brandywine for the night.

As we entered Broad Creek in the early afternoon on Saturday, we hailed Brandywine. To our amusement, Mark replied from Cosmo; he had arrived early and was already sailing. He directed us to his location, and we found Brandywine snugly anchored, awaiting our arrival.

Although there wasn't much wind, we took turns sailing Cosmo, Mark's Eastport Pram. Michele and I both struggled a bit with the limited wind, but Mark (a veteran sailor) circumnavigated a nearby Nordic Tug "Missouri Trawler", easily putting Cosmo through her paces.

Even with limited wind, we had a blast, so much so that we've added one to our own ship's inventory! That's a long story, involving Mark, a buddhist monk named David, John Sanderson (another Cape Dory owner), the Annapolis boat show, a church, an Audi, and a number of Pusser's Painkillers. But we're looking forward to spring when we launch her for the first time. For now, she's hanging from the ceiling in our upstairs hallway!

Following our afternoon of sailing, we settled in for the evening, eating like kings (and queens), and drinking plenty. After a nice breakfast in the morning, we traveled together as far as Knapps Narrows, where we waved goodbye to Mark as he headed North through Poplar Narrows, and we continued home across the bay.

Finish Strong

2009-01-07T20:28:00.002-05:00

Home, 9/27/2008
Hours logged: 2.0

Much of this trip was a wash (literally), but after a moderately foggy trip home from Eastern Bay, we enjoyed a real treat: all-we-could-eat crabs at the BCYC crab feast, right in Tracey's Creek.

Get Out Of Town

2009-01-07T19:47:00.002-05:00

St. Michaels, Tilghman Point, 9/26/2008
Hours logged: 4.0

By Friday morning, the weather was settling down from gale winds to "just" a small-craft advisory. We wanted to be back in Herring Bay on Saturday for the BCYC annual crab feast, so despite the advisory, we decided to start our journey home, hoping to tuck into a sheltered anchorage at Tilghman Point within a few hours, and then finish the trip on Saturday.

Conventional wisdom is that one of the most dangerous things on a boat is a schedule. With that in mind, we were slightly hesitant to set out, but we timed our departure for favorable currents (matching the northeast wind), and noted a few bailout points along the way. Much ado about nothing. The trip was easy, and we slipped under the Kent Narrows after less than three hours under way. With relatively easy weather and plenty of time on our hands, we decided to make the best of our rainy windy vacation and get a massage at St. Michaels Harbour Inn. A quick phone call confirmed a 3:30pm appointment, leaving us several hours to kill. We turned on the stereo and puttered the rest of the way at hull speed, then drifted outside St. Michaels for lunch. We tied up at the Inn, and noted with amazement that the water level was over the docks at St. Michaels Marina just across the basin from us, flooding the outdoor area of the Crab & Steak house. A hostess was helping patrons find their way in without wading!

By the time we finished our spa visit, it was starting to get dark. We quickly zipped up to Tilghman Point, dropped the anchor, and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Change In The Weather

2008-11-03T00:04:00.003-05:00

Chestertown, 9/23/2008

Hours logged: 4.5

Monday evening, the weather turned for the worse. Heavy rain had us hiding inside, but we were well-protected from winds during the night. Although we had no specific plans for the week, the ominous forecast had us scrambling to decide where we'd wait out the storm. We settled on Chestertown, and started that direction early on Tuesday morning.

From the Wye, our course took us through our first transit of Kent Narrows. The bridge was open for southbound vessels, so we hailed the bridge tender, who held it open for us (we later figured out that we can easily clear the span without an opening). By the time we reached Chestertown, the wind was really blowing and we were happy to be secured in a marina. Sultana, her home port being Chestertown, arrived at the dock just after we did.

With a small craft advisory for Wednesday and a gale forecast for Thursday, we were facing a longer stay in Chestertown than we anticipated. A coworker of Michele's had attended Washington College and provided several good restaurant and activity recommendations, so we made the best of our stay. In particular, we enjoyed Brooks Tavern, a bit of a hike from the marina, and the Blue Heron Cafe. We followed the self-guided historic tour, and had a malt at the old-fashioned soda fountain in the Stam pharmacy. Chestertown is a cute, small town with interesting architecture, but several days were, shall we say, plenty.

Wye Landing

2008-11-02T16:16:00.006-05:00

Wye Landing, 9/22/2008
Hours logged: 2.0

Monday brought sunny, warm, beautiful weather.

A dock neighbors recently gave us an inflatable raft that they were no longer using. We were looking forward to trying it out, and this was a perfect day for it. We paddled around the creek, and enjoyed the scenery and wildlife. Blue Herons were plentiful, and we even marvelled over our luck, seeing a pair of bald eagles!

We enjoyed the peaceful area so much, we decided to stay another day, but not before idling a little farther up river to Wye Landing, where we passed this country estate, complete with a herd of black sheep sleeping beneath the tree in the foreground. We had no destination in mind, just exploration with the added benefit of charging our batteries for short while. After a brief stop for ice at a waterman's dock at Wye Landing, we returned to Dividing Creek for another night.

Wye

2008-11-02T15:58:00.005-05:00

Wye River - Dividing Creek, 9/21/2008

Hours logged: 3.0

After prepping the boat and provisioning for the week, we cast off Sunday morning for our first stop, Dividing Creek. A few leisurly hours later, we were meandering up the Wye East, when we came across this vessel, aground, just north of Shaw Bay. The vantage point of this photo faces south / southwest, downstream, toward the mouth of the river. Observe the daymark: If you're navigations skills are sharp, you'll notice that, although the marker is too silhouetted to reveal color, the shape indicates a green marker. It would appear the sailing vessel missed the mark, passing on the wrong side. The crew were on deck, apparently comfortable and in no distress waiting for the rising tide.

We arrived at Dividing Creek just a few minutes later, and found that we had the entire creek to ourselves. Lovely!

Afternoon On The Hook

2008-11-02T05:21:00.003-05:00

Dun Cove, 9/20/2008
Hours logged: 3.5

During the boat show, Michele and I ran into fellow Cape Dory owners Mark and John, who reminded me that I have a blog and should post occasionally. :-P So, like several other times over the past summer, here I am, transferring my notes to the blog in bulk. My usual apology: a busier-than-normal summer has kept me away too long.

As you see below, I posted a few times using my mobile phone/PDA while on vacation. I'd love to rave about another wonderful week on the boat, but it was far from that. Not a great week in terms of weather, but hey, it beats the hell out of working.

We began our vacation with a day trip to Dun Cove with a few friends, Brad, Smita, Adam, and Ashley. The weather was already a bit chilly and breezy, but all-in-all a fantastic day. After a quick cruise across the bay (in a pretty good chop) and through the narrows, we dropped the hook, fired up the grill and enjoyed the afternoon. We returned to Shipwright just before dusk.

A Breeze

2008-09-26T13:43:00.002-04:00

The trip down the Chester River and through the narrows was a breeze. We even saw Sultana along the way.

We're now preparing to make the best of this vacation with a massage at St. Michaels Harbour Inn before deciding where to anchor in the rain tonight!

Getting under way...

2008-09-26T08:44:00.002-04:00

It's still pretty blustery, and there's a small craft advisory in effect until 4 pm, but we think things have settled enough to let us get partway home. We'll get underway shortly, while the winds and tidal current in the Chester River are favorable. Probably stopping for the night at Tilghman Point, but might continue on later today if the advisory is lifted.

Riding out a storm

2008-09-25T17:44:00.002-04:00

Still in Chestertown, waiting for the gale to subside. We found some provisions within walking distance, and we're hoping to shove off in the morning and anchor one more night before returning to Herring Bay for the BCYC Crab Feast.

Vacation Posts

2008-09-24T09:57:00.002-04:00

Michele and I are spending the week aboard Mariner II, and I've been experimenting with mobile blogger (posting via MMS). My understanding is that the subject line and pictures are posting, but no text. Oh well, the pictures are probably the best part anyway! ;-) I'm sending this post by email -- maybe this is the better way for email-capable phones.

Anyway, we arrived in Chestertown yesterday afternoon, after a long, lazy trip through Kent Narrows and up the Chester River. We'll be holed up here until conditions on the bay improve!

COASTAL WATERS FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
445 AM EDT WED SEP 24 2008

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT

GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT

Staying one more night

2008-09-22T15:53:00.001-04:00

Dividing Creek...

2008-09-21T17:16:00.001-04:00

Drifters

2008-09-20T06:45:00.000-04:00

G "83A", 9/7/2008
Hours logged: 1.75

The remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna were approaching on Friday, so like many others in the marina, we tended to boat Friday evening. The forecast wasn't too dire, so we didn't bother with a haul-out. Always up for adventure, we stayed aboard the whole weekend to observe the storm. We planned to leave only if the water level rose above the dock. It came close, but never got that high.

On Saturday, the winds and rain had really come up, but as forecast, nothing too serious. At lunchtime, we met up with Bill and Betsy who own Walkabout, a beautiful red-hulled Cape Dory 28. They were hauled out at Herrington Harbor North. Always interesting to talk to other Cape Dory owners and learn how they became Cape Dory fans, hear about their cruises, and compare notes. Later that evening, we joined Carlos and Ali aboard their new sailboat Bonus.

By Saturday evening, the storm had passed. Sunday was gorgeous. We just motored out into the bay, shut down, and relaxed. We drifted for several hours, enjoying the calm, beautiful weather, and then headed home.

Log Canoes

2008-09-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

St. Michaels, 9/13/2008
Hours logged: 5.0

Laura, Tommy, and Sophia were visiting. Sophia really seems to have fun on our boat trips, so we picked St. Michaels for the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, which has lots of kid-friendly exhibits. Unbeknown to us when we made the plan, the log canoe races were also scheduled for this weekend. St. Michaels Marina was jammed, but we had our reservation and they squeezed us in. It's certainly entertaining watching the sailors handle these hand-crafted sailing vessels, scrambling from port to starboard and back on their platforms!

Labor Day

2008-09-12T17:36:00.002-04:00

Solomons, 8/30 - 8/31/2008
Hours logged: 9.0

This was probably our last trip this season down to always-enjoyable Spring Cove Marina in Solomons. With tolerable temperatures approaching, I'm looking forward to getting away from marinas and spending more time out on the water, but Michele was really looking forward to a relaxing stay in a comfortable marina. The usual: Dinner one night at Solomon's Pier and one night at the marina. Lots of pool time.

Michele unfortunately had to spend quite a bit of time working with her client, the Salvation Army, due to looming hurricane Gustav about to make landfall in Louisiana -- a grim reminder of Katrina. Gustav fortunately caused much less havoc. As I write this post two weeks later, Hanna has already passed. Ike, a massive storm with an expected 20' surge, is making landfall in Texas. Our thoughts and wishes go out to all those in the storm's path.

Vote For Change?

2008-09-12T17:03:00.005-04:00

Herrington Harbor South, 8/23/2008
Hours logged: 2.0

With no advanced planning, we set out for open waters on Saturday morning. We got only as far as Herrington Harbor South, just a few miles from our marina.

We stopped there for fuel, but we left the next day as new tenants. Our growing discontent with Shipwright Harbor's facilities encouraged us to inquire about slip availability at Herrington South. It's closer to the open bay, roughly the same price, and is a full-fledged resort. We spoke to Bob Green, the slip manager, who reviewed the facilities and offered to hold a slip for us next year for a $100 deposit. He was very friendly and welcoming, offering us a complimentary overnight slip to let us try out the marina, including use of the giant pool (open late), and an invitation to join one of their yearly slipholder events: a bonfire and barbeque on the private beach. What a juxtaposition with Shipwright's failing electrical systems, contaminated fresh water, and disappearing events.

The decision to lock in a slip at Herrington was easy; a $100 deposit isn't a tremendous risk. The decision to change marinas will not come so easily, at least for me. I enjoy the friendly, personal, less resort-like feel of the smaller marina. We're most likely making the change next spring, but not without some pangs of nostalgia and regret. Ken and Joan, our sailing neighbors, are also confirmed at Herrington South. Unless the situation at Shipwright improves, I imagine others will follow.

La-Trapped

2008-09-12T16:38:00.003-04:00

LaTrappe Creek, 8/16/2008
Hours logged: 7.0

Everyone raves about LaTrappe Creek. It’s certainly a nice little creek, but I’m not sure why it earns the raves it does. Maybe if you have little children, and you ignore the “no trespassing” signs on the sandy point near the entrance, it could be a fun time.

My sister Melanie came down from New York to visit for my 40th birthday (40!!). Michele and I took her out on the bay, stopping in Knapps Narrows for lunch before moving on to LaTrappe. When we arrived, we first set anchor in the cove to port near the entrance. What a scene! Crowded with boats, children running every where on the beach, and people literally falling off their boats drunk. We weren’t looking for a party; we were looking for a quiet, scenic spot. So, anchor’s aweigh… we headed up the creek a bit further and found a more secluded location – just one other boat. We could still hear the noise from the parties, but it was far enough off that we thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Just before midnight, the music really cranked up, confirming that our decision to move up stream was wise. Fortunately, it settled down before long and we slept well through the cool night. We returned home on Sunday by way of Sharps Island Light, where we saw truly hundreds of cow nose rays. We slowed to idle, marveling over the brush with wildlife, before making the last leg of the trip to Herring Bay.

Michele's Birthday

2008-09-12T16:36:00.000-04:00

Knapps Narrows, 8/9/2008
Hours logged: 4.0

Laura came down to visit for Michele's birthday. We kept close to home, visiting Knapps Narrows marina for the night along with fellow Cape Dory owner Mark.

Michele was spoiled for her birthday: Visit from Laura, nice dinner at Tilghman Island Inn, a gift and a gourmet breakfast (eggs benedict) prepared by Mark.

Where's Mariner II, Chapter II

2008-09-12T16:35:00.001-04:00

Well, I just can't seem to keep up with everything this summer. I've been putting in many hours at work recently, but at least they've been confined to weekdays, leaving weekends free for the boat. New posts coming shortly to catch you up on last month.

Sailors

2008-08-19T05:18:00.009-04:00

Rhode River, 8/2
Sailing in Herring Bay, 8/3
Hours logged: 3.75

The plan was to get together with dock-neighbors Ken and Joan. On Saturday, we would take them out on Mariner II for a few hours, and on Sunday, they'd take us sailing aboard Coast Awhile.

A threatening forecast for Saturday shut down day one. Ken and Joan returned home, while Michele and I stayed at the marina, enjoying the pool and waiting for the storm(s). By 4pm, the weather still seemed fine despite calls for an afternoon thunderstorm, so we decided to cast off and head for the close-by Rhode River anchorage and ride out any afternoon storm at anchor. We were set just in time.

The storm blew through quickly, bringing ominous clouds, thunder, high wind gusts, but little rain. A bonus: The jellyfish disappeared! They must be afraid of thunder. We were able to spend a little time swimming before settling in for the night.

We returned to Shipwright early Sunday morning to meet Ken and Joan for some sailing. We pulled in just after 10am, our prearranged meeting time. They were busy prepping Coast Awhile, so we tied up quickly and joined them, casting off again before 11am. Michele has done a bit of sailing in the past; I have virtually no sailing experience. Our help wasn't really needed, however. We crisscrossed Herring Bay a couple times, crossing paths with other sailors from Shipwright. Light winds kept the sailing rather tame, but quite relaxing and enjoyable.

Gloucester

2008-07-31T21:51:00.004-04:00

Gloucester, MA, 7/27/2008

Hours logged: 0.0

What -- did you really think we took our boat to Gloucester? I'd love to, but not this year. We finally visited Paco, Amy and their kids Xavier and Grace, outside of Boston. (If you're reading this... thanks for having us visit -- we had a great time!) On Sunday, we went to Wingaersheek Beach, near Cape Ann, in Gloucester. Certainly nautical enough to warrant a post here!

Back Creek Yacht Club "Lobster Feast"

2008-07-31T20:31:00.010-04:00

South River (Crab Creek), 7/19/2008

Hours logged: 4.5

Well, I may be way behind on blogging, but I do have exciting news to share. Michele and I have joined a yacht club! Now I suppose we'll need to talk with our teeth closed, like Thurston Howell, III of Gilligan's Island ;-). I never thought I'd be interested in such a thing. If you know me well, you know that I'm most comfortable in jeans (or shorts), a t-shirt, and bare feet. That doesn't fit well with my idea of a "yacht club." Back Creek Yacht Club, however, isn't just any yacht club. It's a virtual club, and very laid-back and casual from what I can tell. I'm sure I'll have lots to post about it in the future, but for now, I better catch up.

We met a few members of the club at the Cape Dory 28 raft-up back in May. Wally and Molly, owners of "Diversion", hosted this year's Lobster Feast, an annual activity of the club. Mark, owner of "Brandywine", invited Michele and me along as his guests. The relaxed, delicious event clinched the deal.

A Cape Dory Motor Sailor we saw along the way -- the first one we've seen.

Washing Machine

2008-07-14T22:33:00.004-04:00

Dun Cove, 7/11/2008
Knapps Narrows Marina, 7/12/2008
Hours logged: 5.0

Michele and I were determined to shove off on Friday. The forecast called for a low of 68 degrees overnight, giving us a rare July opportunity for anchoring overnight in comfort. Work, as usual, interfered, so we couldn't cast off our lines until 8pm. The sun was setting as we motored out into the bay for our first night cruise aboard Mariner II.

We made it across the bay to Dun Cove with little difficulty, and set the anchor under a sky dimly lit by a half moon. The breeze was kicking up and shifting frequently, which made for a turbulent night. I likened it to sleeping in a washing machine; Michele just plain liked it.

On Saturday, we aimed for nearby Tilghman-on-Chesapeake for a peaceful rest, but suprisingly, they were full. We fell back on Knapps Narrows Marina, which turned out to be so much more than a fallback! We loved it -- a happening place with some nice views and the always entertaining parade of boats through the narrows. The dockmaster was helpful, the grounds and pool are nice, the people are friendly, and the marina provides a terrific continental breakfast on Sundays. Although the on-site Bay Hundred Restaurant seems like a fine choice for dinner, we instead wandered on foot to the Tilghman Island Inn for a superb late dinner. Prior to owning our boat on the Chesapeake, we had once stayed at the Inn for our anniversary, dreaming of the day we'd return via water instead of asphalt. They do have dockage, so we'll eventually return and stay at their docks, as well.

Unfortunately, Friday night wasn't the last of the washing machine. We set out for home on Sunday afternoon in the midst of a small craft advisory, and with the outgoing tide opposing the 20 knot south wind. Four-footers on our port beam made the crossing a struggle. We arrived home safely to contingent of neighbors standing ready to assist with docking. It turns out our struggles were minor: Carlos and Ali's slip was unusable, as someone apparently crashed into a piling and knocked it over; one sailing neighbor had his mainsail torn by the wind gusts; another broke a throttle cable while docking.

Happy Birthday, USA

2008-07-14T20:39:00.002-04:00

Solomons, 7/4 - 7/6/2008
Hours logged: 8.0

Had a great time over the Independence Day weekend. Tommy, Laura, Cindy and John joined us for a cruise down to Solomons for the weekend, including a leisurly swim in the bay near Calvert Cliffs. Once we arrived, Cindy and John stayed at the nearby Holiday Inn. Mariner II isn't quite roomy enough to sleep 6, though my usual expression might have applied: "Sleeps 2 lovers, 4 close friends, or 6 drunks."

As usual when this group is all together, we may have had a wee bit too much to drink. Shortly after our arrival in the early afternoon, happy hour began aboard the boat, including enough food to let us skip dinner. We didn't though -- we continued in the late evening with more food and drink at Naughty Gull as we sought shelter from thunder storms that threatened to spoil fireworks. On Saturday we trekked down to the Tiki Bar, which we actually enjoyed quite a bit, and then moved to Solomons Pier for crab legs.

Despite a constant threat of thunderstorms for the weekend, the weather was mostly pleasant. Temperatures were mild, and for the most part, the rain held off. The cruise each direction was easy and enjoyable. Solomons is a long trip from Deale, especially at 8 knots, so each direction we pushed up to 10 knots or so for part of the trip, sacrificing some fuel burn for a shorter journey.

She Got Game

2008-07-14T07:14:00.000-04:00

Chesapeake Beach, 6/30/2008
Hours logged: 2.0

Michele had a vacation week scheduled for 6/30 to 7/4. I disrupted her plan to spend a peaceful week aboard the boat by arranging a charter fishing trip aboard Kyran Lynn, out of Chesapeake Beach, for Monday. I and 9 other guys boarded the charter early that morning, hoping to return to Shipwright later that day with a cooler full of fish ready to throw on the grill. Dock-neighbor Carlos was aboard the charter, and his wife Ali joined Michele for her first venture out on Mariner II without me. Michele and Ali made the hop down to Chesapeake Beach while we guys were out fishing. They were tied up at the transient dock when we came in!

After a bit of a scramble sorting out the fish cleaning, Michele brought Ali and a couple of the guys back to Shipwright aboard the boat, while the rest of us headed up by car. We had the grill going by the time they got back, so Michele had a full audience on hand for her first solo docking. She nailed it (I knew she would): backed into the slip on the first try and didn't even touch a piling. I "use" the pilings all too frequently -- I guess I better raise my game!

Wild Life

2008-07-10T18:11:00.002-04:00

Shaw Bay, 6/27/2008
St. Michaels, 6/28/2008
Hours logged: 8.5

Chris was here for a repeat of our (mis)adventures last October. One minor change: weather was cooler last time, so we sought a protected anchorage in Dividing Creek. This year, hoping for more breeze, we wanted a more exposed area. On Friday, we set a course for Shaw Bay (not far from Dividing Creek), beautiful and wide open. We sure got our breeze. Along the way, we could see a thunderstorm passing north of our position. We tracked it using animated radar on my new smartphone/PDA (cool!), and managed to avoid the brunt of it. Later, however, another storm passed through, darkening the sky and rolling 1- to 2-footers through what was a flat calm bay. Never to be deterred from a good time, we let out plenty of rode, cracked open a couple beers, and enjoyed the storm.

We awoke early to the sound of fishing boats checking their lines, and headed above deck with coffee in our hands. The nearby fisherman swung by and asked us to shorten our rode to avoid interfering with his line as we swung around. We gladly obliged now that the storm had passed. A short time later, we weighed anchor and made the short hop to St. Michaels. The storm must have stirred up a feast: we saw dozens of cownose rays along the way.

I think we're getting old: In St. Michaels, we interrupted our usual bar-hopping activities to tour the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (a nice museum, but IMO, doesn't quite measure up to the Calvert Marine Museum), and we skipped a late night visit to Characters in favor of going to bed at 11pm.

On Sunday morning, our dock-neighbors cats greeted me when I went above deck. Two lovely and friendly Abyssinian cats (one male and one female, siblings). Since our cat Raisin passed away in March, we've been considering getting another. These two seemed quite comfortable on board, enjoying the scenery as their owners cast off. I might need to look into them. They're show cats, though, so they're probably expensive. Anyway, we returned to Shipwright to meet Michele, who would be arriving a short time later to stay aboard for the rest of the week. We gave the boat a good cleaning, relaxed by the pool, and later headed off to Petie's for dinner.

Solomons

2008-07-10T08:02:00.001-04:00

Solomons, 6/14/2008
Hours logged: 9.0

Michele's parents were here for Father's Day weekend. We thought they'd enjoy Solomons (one of our favorites), so we reserved our usual slip (C-23) at Spring Cove Marina for Saturday night. We figured there were several draws that would interest her parents: the Cove Point LNG facility along the way, the little boardwalk along the Patuxant, the beautiful picnic grounds at the marina, and the Calvert Marine Museum. Despite several visits to Solomons in the past, Michele and I had not yet been to the museum. I am happy to report that we've now corrected that oversight. It's a GREAT museum -- we waited way too long!

The trip down and back was uneventful, but long. Our slower, fuel-conserving, 8-knot cruising speed is a pleasure, but certainly extends the journey. We're still learning ways to enjoy the slower speed, such as taking the opportunity to prepare food and eat underway. The lower engine noise levels are also a plus!

Where's Mariner II?

2008-07-09T22:51:00.001-04:00

OK, I am WOEFULLY behind when it comes to updating this blog. We've been crazy busy with work, visiting family and friends, the holiday, etc. But you didn't come here for excuses, so on with the posts. I have trips and engine hours recorded on paper, so I'll get some posts (including some pictures) up here quickly over the next few days.

Pea Soup

2008-06-23T20:19:00.005-04:00

Nowhere, 6/7/2008
Hours logged: 2.0

Green "1", just off our dock at Shipwright, at 1:45pm.

Hot, muggy weather discouraged us from anchoring, so we made a transient slip reservation at Bay Bridge Marina, a new place for us.

We didn't get far. Unusually dense fog, predicted to clear by late morning, kept us close to home. Anticipating clearer visibility soon, we crept out into the fog at around 10:30 am, and inched our way down to Herrington South Marina where we took on diesel. There, the weather seemed bright and clear, but just outside the entrance channel, visibility was down to about 100 feet. We played it safe and returned to Shipwright rather than risk crossing the bay. It was late afternoon before the fog finally lifted.

Colorful Memorial Day

2008-06-01T19:40:00.001-04:00

Crayola should make a crayon color called "Dun Cove Blue"

"Red sky at night" in Plaindealing Creek

Memorial Day Weekend
Hours logged: 9.0

We began Saturday with breakfast in DC with friends Aaron, Chris, and their toddler Stella. They moved away over a year ago, and were back in town visiting family. It was great to see them.

Once underway in the early afternoon, we had nothing particular planned other than to get out on the water. We pointed toward Tilghman Point, but decided to stay closer instead, so we motored slowly over to Dun Cove. Great choice, it's a fantastic anchorage.

On Sunday, we meandered a little further to Oxford and had lunch at Schooner's. We took a quick walk to the little grocery store for provisions, and then crossed the Tred Avon to Plaindealing creek for the night. We swam a bit, and Michele was stung on the hand by something. Could it be a nettle this far north, already?

We saw Brandywine come through Knapps Narrows just after we did, a nice surprise! Beam seas and 3-4 footers the whole way home shook us around quite a bit. I remarked to Michele that maybe all the bouncing around would clean out our fuel tank once and for all. I should be careful what I wish for: By the time we were back in Rockhold Creek at our marina, the racor was clogged, and we stalled twice while approaching the pumpout. The engine restarted quickly, though, and we were able to pump out and limp back to our slip. Looks like I'll be cleaning the fuel filter before the next outing!

Rendezvous

2008-05-30T07:44:00.004-04:00

Photo by John Sanderson (owner of hull #118, "Tangent").

Severn River (Clements Creek), 5/17/2008
Hours logged: 6.25

We joined in the Cape Dory Mid-Chesapeake Rendezvous this year. We really enjoyed meeting other owners, seeing their boats, and sharing ours.

We arrived in Clements Creek in the mid-afternoon, and found Brandywine, Diversion, and Tangent rafted together and tied up to a mooring bouy. Dulcinea and Cascadas arrived a short time later.

With fuel prices soaring, we cruised at 7.5-8 knots both up to and back from the Severn. That's about 70% of our "normal" cruising speed, but we cut our fuel consumption by about 60%! We may spend more time at 8 knots this summer... Weather was beautiful on Saturday, but a little ugly for the trip home, as we headed straight into 3-4 footers coming in from the south. As usual, Mariner II handled the conditions without a problem, and I'm happy to report that there's no sign of leaks in our newly rebedded windshield.

Shakedown 2008

2008-05-04T22:25:00.000-04:00

West River, 5/3/2008
Hours logged: 3.0

So much for occasional off-season posts! Ah well, the new season has started, so it's time to revive this section of the blog.

After resolving some mechanical issues last week, we were ready for the shakedown cruise to kick off the season. We had no particular plan, but I knew a coworker with a Chris Craft in the Galesville area might be doing the same thing on Saturday, so we started up that direction. I gave him a ring, and sure enough, we were able to meet up for a quick hello near Green "85A", just south of the West River. We chatted briefly, admired each other's boat, and then set off for home, pleased that both boats seemed to be running without problem.

One issue: our center windshield still leaks badly, so we're going to take care of rebedding the glass sooner rather than later. Aside from that, all seems well.

Standstill

2007-12-30T12:57:00.000-05:00

With the boat on the hard for the winter, I won't have any cruise reports for a while. I have plenty of maintenance tasks and upgrades planned for the off-season, but I don't want this travel blog to die off in the meantime. So, even though we're not going anywhere for a while, I thought I'd add occasional posts here with thoughts, plans, and other ideas for the upcoming 2008 boating season.

If there's anyone out there reading this, and you have suggestions, please by all means post a comment! I'm particularly interested in fun places to visit and quiet, scenic creeks within 30-40 nautical miles of Herring Bay. More distant destinations are ok too, although they're harder for us to reach when we have limited vacation time. Climb aboard, and let me know!

One More Time

2007-11-27T18:01:00.000-05:00

Herring Bay, 11/25/2007
Hours logged: 1.25

The main objective for the day was to finish winterizing. Though chilly, the day was irresistibly beautiful and calm, so I cast off with my father and Anthony for a short cruise around Herring Bay. Anthony seemed kind of interested in how things worked, so I pointed out various navigational considerations: Long Bar, channel markers around the bar, crab traps, a couple fish traps near Green can "83A", and the float-free channel markers leading into Herrington Harbor South. It was just a short cruise, but definitely a pleasant late-season surprise.

Haulout is scheduled for this week, followed soon by shrinkwrap.

Last Hurrah?

2007-10-25T07:50:00.000-04:00

Oxford, 10/20/2007 Hours logged: 5.75

As amazing as this seems, we had yet another gorgeous fall weekend. After a very busy summer, we are winding down and Michele and I were looking for a quiet weekend alone together for what was likely our last trip of the season. I was a bit torn between anchoring overnight in some secluded creek, or spending the night in quiet Oxford where we could enjoy a nice dinner out. We opted for Oxford, hoping to stay at Town Creek Marina for a change (not that we don't enjoy Mears, but Town Creek would be a shorter walk to town and probably less busy). Unfortunately, we couldn't even locate it, and I'm not sure it even exists any more, or at least not as described. We poked around the Green "13" area at the end of town creek, asked a few people on the docks, but still no success. We perhaps should have fallen back on Skipper's pier, but I had had enough annoyance at that point, so we just contacted Mears and took a slip there.

We headed to Masthead at Pier St. for dinner on the waterfront deck, but they were closed for the season -- a perfect excuse to splurge on dinner at the sister-restaurant "Latitude 38". Dinner was great: superb food beautifully presented. Another bonus: they offer half-entrees, which we love because the portion size is much more reasonable. Unfortunately, the experience was tarnished a bit by poor service. For a restaurant of this class, the servers should be more attentive. At the end of the meal, we waited almost 30 minutes trying to get someone's attention so we could pay the bill, and ultimately we just got up and went to the hostess station to pay. They seemed annoyed by that, but it was their own fault. Oh well, we still enjoyed ourselves.

On Sunday, Carlos and Ali (slip neighbors at Shipwright) called and we planned to meet them out in the bay just to say hi during the cruise home. When we found them, the were relaxing adrift, but couldn't restart their starboard engine. They limped back to Shipwright on one engine, and we stayed with them to make sure they got home ok. Finally home, we said goodbye when they hit the road, prepped an early dinner aboard, chatted with other neighbors Ken and Joan for a while, and then finally faced up to the fact that the weekend was over. We dragged it out as long as possible, but it was time to close out the season.

The boat will stay in the water for probably another month while we do some maintenance, but we don't anticipate much more use before the cold weather really sets in. What a great boating season! We couldn't have asked for better.

Comfortable Fall Cruising

2007-10-24T21:26:00.000-04:00

Cambridge, 10/13/2007
Hours logged: 7.25

Michele's mother had read an article about Cambridge, MD and mentioned that she'd like to go there sometime. Her parents were here visiting over the weekend, so we took them there by boat. It's a bit of a long trip for us from Deale, but with the perfect fall weather, the trip was a pleasure.

The day started with a repair project, however. My father-in-law and I replaced the broken flybridge shift cable (and the throttle cable, while we were at it), delaying our departure until almost Noon.

We cruised to Cambridge via Knapps Narrows. We arrived at the drawbridge around 1 PM, not knowing that there was some kind of event taking place on Tilghman Island. Bridge openings were limited as a result, but we were very lucky to arrive just in time for an opening. The next opening was an hour later, and there was nowhere to tie up temporarily at the crowded docks, so we're glad we caught the 1 PM opening.

The Cambridge waterfront area is full of old beautiful (if somewhat worn) houses, and there's a small but interesting downtown area with shops and restaurants. Definitely worth the trip, although it probably won't top our destination list given the distance. Dinner at Snappers was pretty good, and they make a killer margarita. Cambridge Municipal Yacht Haven is a terrific marina, and definitely rivals any privately owned marina that we've seen, save for the absence of a swimming pool which would be nice in summer months.

Sunday brought more phenomenal fall weather, so we took our time for the trip home, cruising just 7 knots most of the way. Not knowing whether the Tilghman Island event was still going on, I opted to go south around the island. Once past Sharps Island Light, we picked up the pace a bit and finished the trip in about four hours.

Get A Clue

2007-10-10T22:12:00.000-04:00

St. Michaels, 10/6/2007
Dividing Creek, 10/7/2007
Hours logged: 8.25

My old friend Chris ("Clue") from SU came for a visit, and Michele let us have some guy-time on the boat. I don't fish (yet... but coming soon I hope), so that basically means eating too much, drinking too much, and solving the world's problems, only to forget the solutions by the next morning.

First stop was St. Michaels, where we did our best to be a spectacle at Characters Cafe on Saturday night. We took an overnight slip at Higgins Yacht Yard, and I have to say it is now my preferred place to slip overnight in St. Michaels. Don't get me wrong, St. Michaels Marina is a first-class operation, but Higgins is quite nice, very friendly, and half the price.

On Sunday night, we made a short cruise up the Wye East to Dividing Creek. I've read and heard that the Wye East is beautiful, and we were not disappointed. Sunday was a good night for it too, as it was not very crowded, save for couple anchored boats and a flotilla of kayakers that paddled by. We marveled over the truly amazing weather: high 80's, sunny, and calm in October!

Unfortunately, we had a slight mishap, in that the flybridge shift cable broke while we were setting the anchor. That made for a few exciting moments! We managed with the lower controls, and I put the cable repair at the top of the to-do list.

Captain In Training

2007-10-05T07:51:00.000-04:00

Knapps Narrows, Sharps Island Light, 9/30/2007
Hours logged: 4.0

I'm continually amazed at how well small children seem to take to boating. Brian (a long-time friend from SU), his wife Patsy, and son Patrick (who is just starting kindergarten) joined us on Sunday for a little day trip on the bay. With a little one along, we wanted to keep the trip relatively short in case he didn't like it, but that concern was definitely unwarranted.

We made for Knapps Narrows, planning to have lunch at Bay Hundred. We all had a great time, including Patrick who was continually entertained by the boat traffic and the frequently opening drawbridge. After lunch, we strolled across the bridge, and had a moment of excitement when the bells, signifying that the bridge was about to open, began ringing while we were still on the span.

Not wanting the day to end so quickly, we took the long way home through the narrows and south around Tilghman Island. We passed close to the Sharps Island light, then drifted for a while as we waited for a container ship to pass by. When we set out for home, I put Patrick in the lower helm seat and let him drive (while I helped, of course). Another future captain!

Back And Forth

2007-09-24T22:53:00.000-04:00

Knapps Narrows / Dun Cove, 9/22 - 9/23/2007
Hours logged: 6.75

When a weekend forecast in late September calls for sunshine, temps in the mid-80's, and waves less than 1 foot, it's hard not to look at it as possibly the last perfect weather weekend of the season.

I had hoped to have a bunch of my poker buddies out on the bay on Saturday, and then spend Sunday anchored somewhere with Michele. This weekend didn't work out for most of the guys, but Matt was free so he and I went out for a while. With just two of us, we settled for a short lunch cruise over to Bay Hundred Restaurant and Tiki Bar in Knapps Narrows. It was a reasonably good choice, in that it's an inexpensive lunch, but a more interesting cruise than simply moving a few miles up or down the western shore to Galesville or Chesapeake Beach. Note: Apparently, it's quite important to get docking permission from the Knapps Narrows Marina harbor master on VHF 16 before attempting to tie up at the restaurant. The bartender/waitress sent another boat away because they didn't check in by radio, despite the fact that there was no shortage of dock space (we were the only other boat there). Perplexing, to say the least!

Matt and I returned to Shipwright around 4pm and had a beer with a dock neighbor before Matt left for home. Michele arrived as Matt was heading out, and we continued socializing for a short while. We couldn't resist the beautiful weather for very long, so we set out back across the bay, through the Narrows, to Dun Cove to spend the night on the hook. Despite my having made one trip across and back already that day, I savored every minute of the cruise. The sun was already setting as we arrived, but the reward, as usual, was a beautiful serene night at anchor. The equally lovely sunrise on Sunday morning brought a strong, cool breeze and a small craft advisory, but the wind tapered off around noon, leaving us with a great afternoon. We swam, had lunch, and relaxed in the warm sun, putting off our return until late afternoon.

Sonic

2007-09-18T07:22:00.000-04:00

South River - Aberdeen Creek, 9/15/2007
Hours logged: 5.75

The South River has a number of protected anchorages, and it was about time we tried one. We settled on Aberdeen Creek, with the thought that if we passed over popular (and closer) Harness Creek, we'd be more likely to find some quiet seclusion. That's probably laughable to anyone who knows Aberdeen creek. It's lined with mansions and docks, with boats coming and going fairly frequently.

Michele's friend Tammy joined us Saturday morning, and we set out for the South River. The weather and sea conditions weren't cooperating, but the forecast called for conditions to ease in the evening, so we gave it a try. Kudos to Tammy for braving 25 knot winds (a small craft advisory) and occasional 4-foot waves with us on her first trip aboard. The weather did settle, although the breeze made for a chilly evening.

The anchorage was anything but quiet. The area is quite close to Annapolis, and as it turned out, there was a Navy home game at the nearby stadium. We witnessed the jets performing their fly-over at the start of the game, followed a few hours later by a loud party at one of the waterfront mansions. Despite the activity, it was a very enjoyable evening followed by a slow cruise home in lovely weather on Sunday morning.

Take It Easy, Breezy

2007-09-17T20:43:00.001-04:00

Tilghman On Chesapeake, 9/8/2007
Hours logged: 3.25

Just a short cruise across the bay, on the far side of Knapps Narrows, is Tilghman On Chesapeake. It's a planned waterfront community with a lovely marina. There's not a whole lot of activity going on: just impressive scenery, a nice pool, and a cool, breezy atmosphere. Breezy is an understatement; it was downright windy during the night! Apparently, that is the norm for this marina, located on a small peninsula and seemingly surrounded on three sides by water. The pool is refreshingly different, using some kind of saline-based purification rather than chlorine. Tilghman On Chesapeake caters to an older group (think retirees), making it a nice escape from busy marinas and pools crowded with children.

Michele and I had planned to anchor in the South River this weekend, but the warm weather convinced us to postpone that plan until next week, in favor of one more weekend enjoying a quiet swimming pool with a fabulous view.

Shorty

2007-09-17T19:15:00.000-04:00

Introducing the new and improved shorter travel blog. Now that I finally have caught up on all old travel posts, I plan to keep this and future posts brief, but I hope to include lots of nice pictures. I mean, hey, who reads this drivel anyway??

Third Time's The Charm

2007-08-27T07:57:00.000-04:00

Solomons, 8/25/2007
Hours logged: 7.0

The first and second were pretty charming too. On Saturday, we returned to Spring Cove in Solomons for the third time in three weeks. Tommy and Laura were down for a visit (without Sophia this time), so we headed to familiar Spring Cove where we knew we'd have fun. We had our requested shady slip C-23 again, which we love despite the tricky docking. We actually got a round of applause from onlookers after tucking the boat into the slip; they weren't aware of the practice we've had in this very slip the past couple weeks! :-)

The forecast was a bit shaky all week, calling for showers, thunderstorms, and rough conditions. It was wrong. We had smooth seas and no rain all weekend, allowing us to enjoy dinner outside at Solomon's Pier (thanks, Tommy and Laura!), some pool time at the marina, and a little swim in the bay each direction. Saturday's trip down started at 8:30 am, and we arrived a bit after noon. On Sunday, we enjoyed the morning sun and put off the return trip until 11:45 am, finally tying up at home at 3:30 pm.

One troubling concern: My "mental checklist" failed me on Saturday morning, when I finally made the mistake of starting the engine without opening the seawater intake seacock. For those who know boats, this is a good way to tear up the seawater impeller, a rubber vaned device that spins very fast to suck seawater into the cooling system. It's not designed to run dry, even for a very short time. The engine was only on for a few seconds before I realized my mistake, but I was immediately concerned anyway that I destroyed the impeller and would need to delay our departure to change it. I checked the seawater strainer, and it still had a little water in it (a good sign). I opened the seacock and restarted the engine. Revving in neutral showed strong water flow through the exhaust, so we tentatively made our way out of the harbor, where the engine temp remained perfectly fine for the entire trip. Whew! Nonetheless, I'll be monitoring closely for the next few weeks, and I'll definitely be replacing the impeller as a maintenance item this year.

Final Run

2007-08-24T17:42:00.000-04:00

Shipwright Harbor, 8/19/2007
Hours logged: 4.25

The final leg, from Solomons to Shipwright, brought the only bad weather of the trip. Rain, rough seas, and ebbing tide made for a bit of a struggle, but nothing too serious. We spent part of the trip cruising at 7 or 8 knots, but we were able to make better time for some of it.

It seems we have a habit of choosing the wrong time to pass the Cove Point LNG facility. We had to pause for short while as tugs escorted an LNG ship away from the facility. After releasing the ship, the tugs set south and passed close by. You can see from the spray that the conditions were not great!

The trip home took about 3 hours 45 minutes, but we logged another half hour going to the fuel dock and pump out. We left Solomons with a bit over 1/2 tank of fuel, and arrived at Shipwright with about 1/4 tank. We took on 52 gallons so we'd be all set for next weekend, when we return to Solomons (yes, again!) with Tommy and Laura.

Homeward Bound

2007-08-24T07:33:00.000-04:00

Solomons, 8/17 - 8/18/2007 Hours logged: 4.0

We left Tangier Island around 9:45 am with a long trip to Solomons ahead of us. The cruise began a little bit rough, fighting the last of the outgoing tide, but then smoothed out nicely as the tidal flow went slack.

We had no certain plans for our last couple days. Mostly we just wanted more rest before returning to the real world. We stayed with the tried and true, and made for Spring Cove in Solomons. We arrived without reservations, but they accommodated us, even our special request for slip C-23 under the shade of the trees. It's a tight slip, tough to maneuver into it, but the shade is worth it. We were looking forward to two days and nights of not moving around much.

We grilled our own dinner Friday night, availing ourselves of the nice picnic grounds. On Saturday, we relaxed by the pool and later ventured down to the Tiki Bar in Solomons, hoping for some lively outdoor fun. It turns out that it's not really my style. It was dark (a dark Tiki Bar?!) and crowded, and the crowd seemed to be largely go-fast boaters, so we left after one drink. We tried out the BBQ place next door for dinner, which was ok, though pricey for what we got. Then we moved on to Solomons Pier for a drink at the dock bar before heading back to the boat.

Destination

2007-08-23T19:01:00.000-04:00

Tangier Island, 8/15 - 8/16/2007 Hours logged: 2.0

On 8/15, we left Crisfield and set a course for Tangier Island. We left in a hurry that morning, as the day was becoming blustery and the tide was about to turn. Casting off around 9:30 am, we hoped to make the trip at slack, before the tidal flow really started moving against us. That was probably a good decision. As it was, the winds were south at 15 knots and seas were roughly 3 feet, right on our bow. Michele and I left ahead of Mike and Steph, and traveled at 8 knots the whole way, which was a comfortable and fun cruising speed in these conditions. They caught up to us just before green "1" marking the entrance to the channel at Tangier. We hailed Parks Marina on the VHF and got no response, so we did as the guide books suggest: we shouted to some locals sitting on a dock, and they directed us in. In truth, we would have identified the marina easily enough had we continued on another 100 yards or so. The wind and current again made docking tricky, but we had both boats tied up in short order, without much difficulty. Milton Parks, a salty old retired fisherman (and now the marina owner) showed up on his scooter on the dock a few minutes later to greet us, "Are you from-here, or come-here?"

Well. Tangier Island was quite a surprise to me. Again, I think my expectations were a bit off. I had figured it would be quiet and isolated, much like Smith Island. But here on Tangier, with the declining fishing and crabbing industry, they have tourism all figured out. In many places, that can be annoying, but for this little island, it seems like a good thing and was certainly amusing. They have tour boats bring daily passengers from both the eastern and western shores. On arrival, the tourists are greeted almost immediately by fleets of golf carts all lined up, offering island tours. (Golf carts, by the way, are the main form of transportation on the island.) Tour boats, gift shops, restaurants, golf cart tours, crab shacks, all cross-promoting... the local families have it all figured out. It's interesting and amusing, but the real island life appears when the last tour boats leave for the day and things quiet down.

We took a golf cart tour with Mike and Steph, and then had a great lunch at Fisherman's Corner. The restaurant was actually featured in Southern Living Magazine, May 2005 and they deserve it. We'd swear our salad had just been picked fresh from the garden. After lunch, we said goodbye to Mike and Steph as they set out for Reedville, and Michele and I decided to stay the night.
Another unexpected surprise was a lovely beach on the south side of the island. We learned of the beach during the golf cart tour, so Michele and I rented bikes and pedaled there. Fine sand, cool water, moderate waves, ahhhhh. We easily decided we'd be staying a second night so that we could enjoy the beach for a full day the next day. Sadly, no such luck: the beach is private property, owned and protected by biting flies and mosquitos. Even with bug spray, we couldn't stand it anymore after just a couple hours. But it's still a nice beach.

The marina itself was also charming, simple, and clean. Milton Parks takes care of it himself, and seems to enjoy chatting with the visitors. When we handed him cash for our second night, he said "didn't you already pay me?" We had, but for the prior night. He handed us back $10 and thanked us for staying again.

We hung around the boat that evening, grilling nice steaks for dinner and having the last of our drinks (Tangier is a dry island). After dark, we saw the biggest dragonfly I'd ever seen sitting on one of our docklines. It was dark, but I managed to get a mostly in-focus picture. To give you some perspective, it's sitting on 1/2" cord!

Mr. Parks helped us cast off in the morning as we started our journey home, via Solomons. He shared his local knowledge, directing us to hold a northwest course until we reach about 12-15' of water, then turn north. He advised us not to turn north before that, or he'd have to send someone to pull us off the sandbars. He also shared a few bits of boating advice, which I'll pass along here.

A few tips from a salty old fisherman:

When traveling a shallow channel, stay to the windward side. If you run aground, the wind will help free you.
Travel shallow channels a little bit before high tide. If you run aground, the remaining incoming tide will help free you.
The length of your bow line should be the distance from your bow cleat to your propellor, minus 3". If you accidentally let the line fall under the boat, it can't foul the prop.
Keep your boat equipment simple. "If I don't know how to fix it, I don't want it on my boat."

State Park

2007-08-23T08:18:00.000-04:00

Crisfield, 8/13 - 8/14/2007
Hours logged: 2.0

On Monday, we moved on from Smith Island to Somers Cove Marina in Crisfield. Michele and I had read that Somers Cove, run by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, is a terrific facility, but I was a bit disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high, but more likely it's just that I prefer the smaller, quiet, quaint places like Smith Island. No question, Somers Cove is a well-equipped and well-kept facility with friendly staff. I can see that if you're on a long trip, this would be a great stop when you need full facilities like fuel, pump-out, showers, etc. That said, it felt a bit like an RV park for boats. It's a massive place (nearly 500 slips), and as a result, feels a bit impersonal. Incidentally, you can anchor in the basin within the marina.

Crisfield is not far from Smith Island. However, the Smith Island channel ("Big Thoroughfare") is shallow, long, winding, and reportedly well-known for grounding unfamiliar boaters. We poked along at about 5 knots, taking great care to watch the depth and channel markers, and had no problems. The local police boat, which was tied up at the marina when we cast off, came by maybe 20-30 minutes later as we were nearing the end of the channel. We had a suspicion that he might have been checking up on us to make sure we hadn't run aground somewhere, but thankfully we were in no need of assistance. Once we were out in the open, the swells were pretty good size and on our beam, which made for a very rolly crossing. But it was a short and generally fun trip. On our arrival in Crisfield, we topped off with 48 gallons diesel and pumped out the holding tank. Our hope was that this would be the final fueling until home, and it was.

Condos are going up like crazy in Crisfield, no doubt changing the character of the town a lot. Our first night, we dined at Side Street Seafood. I chose the Crisfield Seafood dinner, and that seemed to be the best choice at the table -- we were not impressed by the other entrees. The next day, we spent time at the pool, walked to the grocery store for provisions, and toured the Tawes Museum, which was interesting and well worth some time. My hope had been to visit Janes Island State Park as well, but we wanted to move on to Tangier, so Janes will have to wait until the next visit.

On To The Islands

2007-08-22T07:25:00.000-04:00

Smith Island, 8/12/2007
Hours logged: 2.25

A blue heron, posing next to a weather-worn welcome sign, greeted us as we approached Smith Island Marina. Smith Island is great, in a "nothing here" kind of way. The island's web site says this:

"There is plenty to do, but what you will probably enjoy most is that feeling of not having to do anything in particular."

I wouldn't say there's very much to do, but that last part certainly sums it up. I enjoyed the relaxed, nothing-to-do atmosphere immensely. For the most part, we just relaxed at the marina, watching the ferry and waterman activity. And let me tell you: those guys can handle a boat. They dock their 40' single-inboard, Chesapeake Deadrise boats with ease and perfection, even in stiff winds and current. Very impressive to watch.

The trip across from the Potomac was again amazingly calm and comfortable. Mike and Steph, with the faster boat, were well ahead of us by the time we left the Potomac. Soon after, though, they hailed to let us know they were drifting near red "68", smack in the middle of the bay, ready to go swimming! We caught up in short order, and all enjoyed the water for a little while. Off in the distance, we could see this hulk of an old ship that now serves as a naval practice target for bombing. We were plenty far away -- this picture was taken with 12x zoom.

Smith Island Marina is pleasant and tiny (just 6 slips, all transient). The owners are very friendly, welcoming, and laid back. We each had a full side tie and docked bow-in, allowing us to enjoy the water view from our cockpits. As a bonus, we didn't have to attempt backing in with the stiff crosswind and cross current! Smith Island is definitely a waterman's community: they are up early, and they close down early. By the time we arrived, the little cafe/shop at the marina was just closing down, but we had time to buy a bag or two of ice for the cooler. Good thing we had food with us... another boat that arrived a bit later did not have much to eat, so we passed along some extras for them to enjoy. The stunning sunset was a perfect dessert.

In the morning, the fishing and crabbing boats started early -- very early, 4:30 am -- waking us briefly as their diesel engines came to life. I had hoped to witness them loading the stacks and stacks of crabpots across from our slip onto their boats, but these pots went untouched all day.

Later, we strolled around and discovered the "New York Experience", a little coffee cart (?!) in the middle of nowhere. Like everyone else on Smith Island, the owner was way friendly, chatting with us for a while about the island and our vacation. I can't imagine he gets very many customers, but he had at least the four of us that day. Before casting off for Crisfield, we had an early lunch at Ruke's, an interesting little place with fantastic crabcakes and coleslaw.

All in all, despite very little going on here, I'd return without hesitation. I'd love to have an opportunity to kayak around the adjacent wildlife refuge. Not sure when we'll have an opportunity to go so far south again, but maybe we'll make a point of it.

Next Stop

2007-08-21T23:23:00.000-04:00

St. Mary's River, 8/11/2007
Hours logged: 4.0

Our friends Mike and Steph now keep their boat on the Potomac (or, more precisely, a creek off the Potomac). We hadn't originally thought to make St. Mary's a stop along our journey, but Mike suggested it as a good overnight anchorage and jumping off point for Smith Island the next day.

After leaving Solomons, we turned south, noting that we were about to be farther south in the bay than we had ever been. Another Navy restricted area lies just south and east of the mouth of the Potomac, including "practice targets" along the west side of the channel. I was a little uneasy about this area, but despite scouring the chart notes, we found no indication that we shouldn't be there, so we continued on. Forewarned that the bay quickly becomes much less populated south of the Patuxent River, I was still surprised at how isolated it felt. At one point, we had traveled over an hour and saw only one other boat, a fishing charter headed north past the Point No Point light house. Weather and conditions were just a bit gray, and swells seemed to be building around the time we passed the light, contributing to my slight uneasiness. But as we neared the Potomac, the bay came to life with other boaters again.

We found "Akua Moku'aina" anchored near the unprotected shoreline about half way up the St. Mary's. Or rather she found us; Mike hailed us on the VHF as soon as we were in sight. We pulled along side and chatted briefly while they weighed anchor, and then we all continued farther north to Horseshoe Bend near St. Mary's city to drop the hook for the night. Anchoring near St. Mary's city turned out to be a highlight of the trip for me. It was stunning, calm, protected, and uncrowded.

Mike and Steph brought their dinghy, so we joined them for a quick excursion ashore in the morning. We spent about an hour walking around the quaint, historic buildings and grounds at St. Mary's, and generally enjoying the view, including this distant view of our boats anchored in the river. Finally, after a brief struggle weighing anchor, we set out for Smith Island just before noon.

Setting Out

2007-08-21T23:15:00.000-04:00

Solomons, 8/10/2007
Hours logged: 3.25

We planned the trip south in several hops. The good part about this is that we didn't have any days that required motoring more than about 4 hours. The bad part is that we had to go four straight days without much of a rest.

Our first stop was Spring Cove Marina in Solomons. Spring Cove is, without doubt, the nicest marina we've seen on the bay. Everywhere we go (even way down in Tangier), we run into people who rave about this place. Friendly staff, beautiful grounds, nice pool, nice view, and great bathrooms. In other words, a good way to start vacation. :-) The only minor downside is the walk to "town" is perhaps a bit long, at about a mile along a busy street.

We left at 10:45 am, just early enough to get through the Navy's restricted area around Chesapeake Beach before 1pm, when the restriction begins. A beautiful, calm day invited us to jump in the water for a while along the way, so as soon as we cleared the zone, we shut down and drifted for a while. No nettles in sight, so we swam for about 45 minutes before continuing on to arrive in Solomons around 3 pm.

We left Shipwright with about 3/4 of a tank of fuel. We were not sure where our next fuel would be after Solomons, so we took on 41 gals diesel on our arrival at the marina, and then settled in. Our slip was too big, making it very difficult to reach the forward pilings, but once settled we were fine for the night. Dinner at Solomons Pier capped the evening. During the walk back to the marina, we discovered a new shuttle service. Basically an extended golf cart, it's complimentary (tips only), and can be arranged door-to-door. So much for the minor inconvenience of walking; laziness prevails!

Ten Days "At Sea"

2007-08-21T07:51:00.000-04:00

Michele and I just returned on Sunday from our ten-day vacation. We prepped and provisioned on Thursday, August 9th, and cast off the next morning. Our plans were to head south, ultimately to Tangier Island, VA, stopping at various ports along the way, and return August 19. Very fun and relaxing. We met up with our friends Mike and Steph, who own a late-70's Marinette 32, and spent several days with them along the way.

Our stops included Solomons, St. Mary's River, Smith Island, Crisfield, and Tangier Island. I'll try to post the details for each stop over the next few days. There are lots of details!

Walk The Plank

2007-08-05T23:03:00.000-04:00

St. Michaels
Hours logged: 5.5

Friends John and Cindy joined us Saturday morning for an overnight trip to St. Michaels. At a little over 2 hours cruising time, it's a convenient and fun (albeit expensive) destination.

This was our second time there. The first was late last season. Sadly, we still haven't been to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum!

We left the dock at 11 am, not quite the hottest time of the day, but still brutally hot. Calm conditions made for an easy cruise, but we could have used more of a breeze. Just north of Poplar Island, we shut down and drifted for a while. A surprising absence of sea nettles allowed us to enjoy the water a bit! Michele and I were first ones in, but John followed shortly after. Cindy caved to the peer pressure and jumped in as well. When we weren't rocked by the occasional passing boat, the water was calm enough that John and I dove from the flybridge. A new first for Mariner II!

Once in St. Michaels, we relaxed on the boat for a short while, then the tiny pool at St. Michaels Marina. The heat was enough to prevent us from doing much strolling around town. Instead, we went straight to the bars, then off to a restaurant for dinner. John and Cindy are always good for a fun time, and keeping with tradition, I think we may have had just a tiny bit too much to drink. I know I did!

After a late breakfast, we headed home around 12:30 pm. Gloomy weather, but conditions were otherwise very calm. We saw a bit of traffic, including this tug and barge passing a huge container ship. This photo is looking astern, shortly after we had passed behind the tug, and just in time to catch both in the photo. When we got back to Shipwright, we saw our friends off, and tackled a few chores, only to get soaked by heavy rain. No need to hose off the boat! Petie Green's, here we come. A little dinner, then home to DC.

Tilghman Point

2007-07-30T08:53:00.000-04:00

Tilghman Point
Hours logged: 5.5

The Gunkholer's Guide rated this anchorage as 4 stars (out of 5) for scenery. We agreed that it is very pretty, probably the nicest spot we've visited so far, though still nothing quite like the scenery you get in the Puget Sound area. The anchorage is in Tilghman Creek, just south of Tilghman Point, at approximately 38° 50.5' N, 76° 16.0' W. There are several small coves with water depth in the 10' range, and we settled in the first one to starboard.

Just our usual, new favorite activity: anchoring, grilling, and drinking. The picture below doesn't quite do it justice. I haven't yet replaced our broken camera, so we're still relying on cell phone pictures.

The weather didn't cooperate on Sunday. We didn't have any rain during our cruise home, but it sure looked threatening, and there was a little thunder and lightening in the distance. We were enjoying a slow cruise, around 7 knots, for the first 90 minutes, but then picked up the pace to get home before the coming storms. Short trip, but nice anchorage. We'll return, no doubt.

Scenic Route

2007-07-15T22:49:00.000-04:00

Baltimore Inner Harbor (Fells Point), 7/14/2007
Hours logged: 9.5 hours

OK, we're crazy. Laura and Tommy were having a party in Harrisburg, and we really wanted to go. But, it's summer, and that means we really want to be on the boat. What to do, what to do... Well, instead of driving the 2 hours to Harrisburg, we drove the 1 hour to the marina, took the boat 4 hours up to Baltimore, then rented a car and drove 1.5 hours from Baltimore to Harrisburg. It made no sense, but we did it anyway. I've wanted for quite some time to make the trip into Baltimore by boat. It really was quite an interesting trip, too. Unfortunately, I still have not replaced our broken camera, so I only have fuzzy cellphone pictures to show for it...

Anyway, on to the details.

To get the rental car, we needed to arrive in Baltimore by around noon. While we wanted to cast off for about half the trip on Friday night, we had very little fuel and had to wait until morning for the fuel dock to open. We took on 60 gallons of diesel bright and early, and "finally" got underway around 7:30 am. Navigationally, it's a very interesting trip. The shipping channels into Baltimore are well marked, including range markers for each leg. They're also heavily used, so all the ships make for an interesting and awesome sight.

We arrived in Fells Point around 11:30 am, plenty of time to pick up our Enterprise rental car at their Fells Point location. While in Baltimore, we stayed at Henderson's Wharf Marina. It's a decent and inexpensive mostly no-frills kind of place, and parking for our rental car was included in the price. Bathroom facilities are in a trailer in the gravel parking lot, but they're a lot nicer than you'd imagine from that description. There's an interesting live-aboard community occupying the pier facing the harbor, complete with gardens, picnic tables, etc along the docks. My only real complaint was that we were assigned to a slip that was way too big for our boat. The deckhand helping us into the slip asked us to put a line around the forward piling, which we didn't do because we'd have needed a ladder! Fortunately, Henderson's has floating docks (a rarity on the bay), so we didn't need the forward pilings.

We left for the party around 4 pm, and returned to the marina late that night. In the morning, we returned the rental car and had brunch in Fells Point before setting out for home. On our way out of Baltimore, we saw this giant (see picture) off in the distance, approaching us. These ships move a lot faster than they appear to, so we immediately began vacating the channel, as did numerous other boats. The ship was upon us a few minutes later.

"FORECASTS OF WAVE HEIGHTS DO NOT INCLUDE EFFECTS OF WIND DIRECTION RELATIVE TO TIDAL CURRENTS. EXPECT HIGHER WAVES WHEN WINDS ARE BLOWING AGAINST THE TIDAL FLOW."

We planned the return trip south to take advantage of the tidal current, but a fairly strong southern wind punished us for that decision. Whenever the wind and tidal flow are opposed, the waves stack up, making for a choppy, wet ride. We toughed it out on the flybridge for a couple hours, but eventually gave up in favor of the relatively calm (and dry) lower helm. Going up there Saturday and returning Sunday made for a long trip, but it was fun and interesting.

Why?

2007-07-11T20:58:00.000-04:00

Dun Cove
Hours logged: 4.25 (2 hours to Dun Cove, 2.25 hours returning)

July 4 was a Wednesday this year, which doesn't allow a very big block of time off without taking several vacation days. But, having lost some of our June to mechanical problems, we were determined to get out on the boat anyway. We left work early on Tuesday the 3rd, and headed straight for the marina. Traffic was heavy, so we didn't get there until about 5pm.

I was in a tense and unpleasant mood from work, feeling unfocused, and not sure if I was making sound decisions. Conditions were windy and gray, and darkness was setting in early due to the clouds. We were already asking ourselves why we were doing this. Despite the conditions, we headed out across the bay. Three-foot head seas made the ride bumpy and wet, but it was actually kind of fun. The stress melted away.

We reached Dun Cove around 7 pm and set the anchor. The wind was already whistling and forecast to build further, so I let out extra scope, and Michele gave the boat a strong burst of reverse throttle to firmly set the anchor. Only three other boats were in the cove, adding to the sense that maybe we shouldn't be there. After tying off the anchor line, I looked at Michele on the flybridge, and saw the concern on her face. By this point though, I was feeling much more relaxed and confident that we were in fine shape. I offered this reassurance, and although she looked at me a bit skeptically, she accepted it.

We fired up the grill, opened a bottle of wine, and despite the cool wind, we enjoyed the evening immensely. This is why we're here!

Heavy rain during the night tapped on the deck above us. Morning brought calm, but the forecast was again calling for building seas. We enjoyed our coffee while watching a local waterman work his line, and then made ready to go home. Our extra effort setting the anchor apparently did the trick, because it took a solid 20 minutes to break it free!

A couple notes: We killed the house battery. Apparently, it didn't like 12 hours of powering the GPS (for the anchor drag alarm), playing CDs, and running a refrigerator. We'll have to be more conscious of conserving energy in the future. The stuffing box was great the whole trip.

Testing, Testing

2007-07-11T20:42:00.000-04:00

Test Run, 6/30/2007.
Hours logged: 1.0

We arrived at the marina Friday night with plans to do a few maintenance chores in the morning, and then anchor overnight in the Little Choptank. The morning was sunny, but windy. After repacking the stuffing box and replacing the racor fuel filter, the sky had darkened and some light rain started falling, so we played it safe and stayed close to the marina. We took a short test run in Herring Bay to check the whether the stuffing box was adjusted properly. It seems about right: just barely warm under way, and not leaking. With luck, that will be the last time I mess with it for a while!

Future Skipper

2007-07-10T21:44:00.000-04:00

Oxford, 6/23 - 6/24/2007
Hours logged: 5.75 (3 to Oxford, 2.75 returning)

I've been pretty busy for the last few weeks, so I'm a bit behind in posting. It's July 10 already, and I haven't updated the blog since our trip to Oxford with Laura, Tommy, and their daughter Sophia. (Yes, Oxford again!)

They arrived late Friday evening, so they put Sophia to bed in the v-berth almost right away, and we settled in at the marina for the night. The morning brought much more pleasant weather than I experienced Friday afternoon.

Because of the harried trip back from Galesville, I put off the fuel dock until morning. Michele and Laura took Sophia for a little walk around the docks while Tommy and I headed off to the fuel dock. A short time later, we returned to pick them up. Tommy met them on the dock with Sophia's life jacket, which she readily accepted after the exciting build-up about it that we all provided. :-)

Conditions were absolutely beautiful, both Saturday and Sunday. The weather was warm, and I don't think we've ever seen the bay so calm. Tommy and I took turns at the helm, while the girls sat in the cockpit with Sophia. The Knapps Narrows drawbridge was a fun diversion, though I think Sophia slept through that part.

Oxford was a great choice for a trip with a toddler. We were already familiar with the area, so there was no need to wander, plus the park and the beach along the "strand" provided some fun activities. Sophia was absolutely adorable the whole time; she really took to the whole experience, and she seemed to love "driving the boat" while we were tied up in the marina. A few more years and she'll want a boat of her own!

A bit of good news: Schooner's has reopened, and it was the same relaxed outdoor atmosphere we remember. We had a little ice cream from Scottish Highland Creamery (same location as Schooner's), which was great as well, even if they do have some "interesting" flavors!

A bit of bad news: Still having some trouble with the stuffing box. I wasn't able to get it adjusted right (always either leaking, or too hot). I think I may need to repack it again following the recent cutless bearing replacement to address the shaft wobble.

Nuts

2007-06-27T22:03:00.000-04:00

Galesville to Shipwright, 6/22/2007
Hours logged: 1.5

Michele and I left work a little early to pick up the boat after having the cutless bearing replaced at Hartge. Laura, Tommy, and Sophia were supposed to arrive later that evening, so we were anxious to check out the repair and make sure all is well. We cleaned up a bit, put the saloon back together, and brought some of our gear aboard. Then I set out for Shipwright while Michele took the car to the grocery and liquor stores.

The trip back to Shipwright was a little unpleasant, with a small craft advisory in effect and 1 to 3 foot seas. The ride was a little wet, but nothing major to contend with. The only real unpleasantness was that I needed to adjust the stuffing box in these conditions. After 15 to 20 minutes of cruising, I checked the stuffing box temperature by placing my hand on the packing nut. Not very smart: I burned my hand, leaving blisters on a couple of my fingers. So there I was, lying on my stomach in the cockpit, trying to adjust a scalding hot stuffing box with my burned hand while waves sloshed over the gunwales into the boat. I broke the check nut free, and as I loosened the packing nut, steam escaped. Hey, that's supposed to be water, not steam! The seawater cooled things off quickly. I tightened the check nut against the packing nut, and continued on my way.

When I got back to Shipwright, the boat was covered with salt from the spray. Usually I change to a swimsuit before hosing off all the salt, but since my clothes were already soaked from lying in a wet cockpit, why bother!?

Hooked

2007-06-10T18:32:00.000-04:00

Rhode River, 6/9 - 6/10/2007
Hours logged: 2.75 (2 to the Rhode River, 45 minutes to Hartge Yard)

We motored slowly up to Galesville on Saturday, and threw out the hook for our first overnight stay at anchor, ever. We've been looking forward to overnight anchoring for a long time, as staying in marinas on the Chesapeake just doesn't seem to have quite the same charm and beauty as it did in Seattle. Our understanding is that the real Chesapeake pleasures are found in gunkholing. We had one not-so-successful anchoring attempt in Seattle, when a couple drunks in a jon-boat filled with beer cans got tangled in our anchor line and pulled up our anchor. But with our recently added GPS (including anchor drag alarm), we felt confident about giving it another try.

We've been having a little trouble with the drive shaft, and the boat was scheduled for haul out at Hartge Yacht Yard in Galesville on Monday, June 11. I really didn't want to use the boat much until the problem is fixed, so this seemed like a good time to stay close to home and "test the waters" with our anchor.

After a nice slow cruise to the Rhode River, we settled in. The anchorage was crowded, but we found a decent spot where we weren't likely to interfere with anyone else's swing. We spent the afternoon enjoying the sun, the breeze, and the water. Michele even went for a swim! You won't catch her doing that after the sea nettles move in later this summer. Later, we put our shiny new grill to use, and prepared ourselves a feast. I even slept well, which surprised me. I expected to be anxious about drifting all night long, but I managed to relax and enjoy the night.

Waking up on the hook is a great experience: quiet and peaceful. We enjoyed our morning coffee while reading our books, and then early in the afternoon we moved the boat over to Hartge's. I bicycled back to Shipwright in Deale to get the car, and we prepped the boat for the repair work. All-in-all, anchoring was a great experience I can't wait to repeat when the repairs are completed. I'm hooked!

Blessing Of The Fleet

2007-06-03T22:27:00.000-04:00

We picked a good weekend to be confined to the dock awaiting repairs. Some friends at the marina arranged a potluck style party in the gazebo picnic area for Saturday night, along with "blessing of the fleet" for the new season. One of the boat owners is a talented musician, and set up in the gazebo and played all evening. We had a great time chatting with our marina friends. Carlos and Ali were notably absent, off in Seattle for vacation, learning to sail. We spent some time talking about Seattle with another E-dock couple, Matt and Carol. Matt is in the Navy, and taking command of a 400'+ frigate near Seattle later this year, so they are bracing for some major changes! We spewed out a bunch of information and opinions on Seattle life. I hope they left the conversation feeling optimistic and excited, not concerned and disappointed. ;-)

Memorial Day In Rock Hall

2007-06-01T18:34:00.000-04:00

Rock Hall, 5/26 - 5/28/2007
Hours logged: 6.75 (3.25 to Rock Hall, 3.5 returning)

Hmm, I somehow forgot to take pictures. I had heard and read very positive things about Rock Hall, MD and Haven Harbour Marina in particular, but I have to say we weren't terribly impressed. I suppose it's possible that we missed the good stuff, but I can't say we'll be rushing back any time soon. The marina was nice, but definitely seemed like an older crowd. Lots of motor yachts that seemed to serve more as floating condos. Again, for benefit of the doubt, I'll acknowledge that perhaps many people stay put, rather than venture out on holiday weekends. The water gets pretty crowded, so it can get kind of crazy out there... Like Yogi Berra once said, "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded."

Rock Hall was OK, but there isn't much to it. Waterman's Crab House is famous for crabs, so we of course indulged. But the atmosphere just wasn't what we were looking for. It was crazy crowded, noisy, and just brimming with families. Might be fun with a rowdy crowd, but wasn't really our speed for this weekend. Must be getting old.

On a disappointing note, the wobbling drive shaft is getting worse. I think the boat will need to be hauled for repair already. I took a short video, if I can figure out how to post it, I'll update this.

New Old Posts

2007-05-17T09:31:00.000-04:00

I'm adding some catch-up posts from 2006, just like I'm doing with the Maintenance Blog. Anything you see posted prior to 4/2007 was backdated to provide a complete record.

In Hot Water

2007-05-12T17:15:00.000-04:00

Herring Bay, 5/12/2007
Hours logged 1.25

We recently installed a new water heater, but we had not yet taken the boat for a test run following the installation. Why should a water heater affect how the boat runs, you ask? On boats (and probably RVs in general), engine coolant is circulated through a heat exchanger in the water heater so that the water stays hot while under way and disconnected from shore power. Our water heater also has a safety temperature cut-off, which shuts off the flow of coolant when the water temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Michele's parents were in town this weekend. She and her mother were touring historic homes on Capitol hill, so her father and I set out for the boat to do a little test run. Basically, I just wanted to make sure the water heater installation wouldn't result in any engine overheating issues. A short cruise in Herring Bay showed a steady temperature reading of roughly 170 degrees at cruising speed, indicating that all was well.

While out, I took the opportunity to mark the "float free channel" -- a channel where crab pots are prohibited -- on our GPS. Some day we'll no doubt be returning to our marina at night, and we'll want to find the float free area to ease navigation after dark.

Grounded

2007-04-26T04:09:00.000-04:00

Easton, 4/21/2007
Hours logged: 6.0

The Chesapeake and its tributaries are fairly shallow. We have a saying here: "If you haven't run aground, you're not being adventurous enough." And by "we", I mean those of us who have run aground.

Spring launch finally happened on Friday, just in time for an absolutely beautiful weekend. I took the afternoon off and did most of the mechanical prep, and Michele and I spent about half of Saturday getting things cleaned up. Not the best way to spend our 6th anniversary, but we were anxious to get out on the water and hopeful that once we did so, the effort would be worthwhile.

At last, around 3pm, we set sail for Easton, MD, all the way up the Tred Avon River. We stayed overnight at the Easton Point Marina (a friendly place, but certainly not luxurious), and walked into town for dinner. Our efforts were indeed worthwhile, as we were thoroughly spoiled by The Inn at 202 Dover. The hosts were so friendly and welcoming, I can't possibly praise them enough. They toasted our anniversary with a complimentary glass of champagne, and the multi-talented chef serenaded the small room with an Italian opera piece.

On Sunday, after lunch and a brief stroll around town, we decided to move on without any definite plan, save for playing hooky on Monday. The Tred Avon narrows and becomes quite shallow near Easton, at the top of the river. We had barely shoved off and were still in sight of the marina when the boat lurched and came to a dead stop. We were aground on a shoaling sandbar. We had only been moving at about 5 knots, and the bottom was soft, so we weren't very hard aground. Nonetheless, a little reverse thrust produced no effect, and we were stuck. The incoming tidal flow very likely would have lifted us off soon, but a passing workboat stopped to assist. We passed him a line, and he had us off the bar within minutes, mostly by turning our bow broadside to the current, which did the rest of the work. What a relief!

Mechanically, For the most part, everything went well. The newly repacked stuffing box ran a bit too hot, but a little adjustment took care of that. The only other issue is that the drive shaft has a little more wobble than I'd like. We'll be monitoring that closely -- along with the depth sounder!

St. Michaels

2006-10-24T22:08:00.000-04:00

St. Michaels
Hours logged: 5.5

St. Michaels is a fun place, but boy is it expensive to stay there. The main marinas try for a yacht-club / resort type atmosphere, and they charge accordingly. Not interested in spending $115 for an overnight slip, we stayed at Higgins Yacht Yard instead, for about half that price. Higgins is more of a working yard, but all we really needed was dockspace anyway. The staff (owners, perhaps?) were very friendly, and if you're self-sufficient, I recommend it as an alternative to the higher-priced marinas in the area. Save the money and spend it on food and drink instead!

For this trip, our last of the season, we borrowed a handheld GPS from our Shipwright dock-neighbors Ken and Joan. Plotting courses and navigating purely by charts and compass all season, I forgot what a luxury it is to have GPS! We also learned our true cruising and maximum speeds. I had initially assumed our cruising speed was about 10 knots, but the GPS showed it around 12. That didn't come as a big surprise, though, because we usually reached our waypoints ahead of schedule when navigating by charts.

Easy As Pie

2006-10-08T21:37:00.000-04:00

Galesville, 10/8/2006
Hours logged: 3.5

On the Chesapeake Bay, 10 knots doesn't get you real far in an hour or two. So for day trips, when we're talking about spending a few hours somewhere and returning home, our options are somewhat limited. Fortunately, our usual M.O. is to spend the whole weekend (or more) aboard, which puts a lot more of the Bay within reach. That said, we're always keeping our eye out for interesting things to do on those occasional short trips.

Last summer, while Michele's parents were visiting, we found a nice diversion in Galesville. We enjoy their visits, and they seem to like getting out on the water with us (even overnight), but this time, we had just a short afternoon. Galesville, at least the part within walking distance of the public dock, is tiny. Tiny. But if you love pie, you'll find everything you need at West River Market & Deli. It's a quaint little small town market where desserts are baked fresh. How fortunate to happen upon this gem, where the pies are homemade, warm, and delicious! Little did I know, this was not an accidental discovery. Apparently, these pies are well-known enough to have been reviewed in print by pie lovers in DC, so our destination was, in fact, selected for a reason. So go there, and try the pie. While you're there, stop in the Galesville Heritage Museum. It's small, and the volunteer staff hover so close you can barely breathe, but they are friendly and there's certainly some interesting town and bay history on display.

Following our stroll through town, we lingered at the water's edge for a while, and then moved on. We cruised just a bit farther north to take a closer look at Thomas Point lighthouse, and then set out for home. All in a short day, easy as pie.

A Little Crabby

2006-10-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

Oxford, 9/30/2006 - 10/1/2006
Hours logged: 6.0 (3.0 to Oxford, 3.0 returning)

Oxford is so peaceful, quaint, and picturesque that I can see it being a default choice for us when we don't have other plans.

We arrived early, and set out for lunch. During our last visit, we dined at Schooner's, where we discovered amazing crab dip. We were disappointed this time to learn that Schooner's has closed. Michele had read about Latitude 38, so we wandered on through town only to discover that they open just for dinner. More walking lead us to their sister restaurant, Masthead at Pier Street Marina. It turns out that this was probably the best choice anyway, providing a great view of the water where the Tred Avon empties into the Choptank River. The restaurant apparently was not expecting such beautiful weather on this late September day, as they were a bit reluctant to open their outdoor seating. But they did, and it was a good decision. We sat there for a couple hours enjoying the sun, the view, and by the time we were done, two pitchers of beer! When we left, the patio was full of patrons doing the same.

In the gift shop, we found a really cute t-shirt with a drawing of a crab, and a caption that read "a little crabby". We picked one up for our niece, Adara, slightly concerned that she might be offended. But the shirt was too cute and funny to pass up.

Sunday morning brought some gray, rainy, and windy weather, so we set out early for home. After passing through Knapps Narrows into the bay, we were much more exposed to the weather. The ride on the flybridge became too wet for comfort, so we dropped down to the lower helm and slogged our way through 2- to 3-footers for the last hour of the trip, a very small price to pay for the previous day's experience.

Rhode River

2006-09-17T12:00:00.000-04:00

Rhode River, 9/17/2006
Hours logged: 3.75

Michele and I put our new anchor rode to its first test. Nothing fancy planned for this day, just a short trip up to the Rhode River, where we anchored for the day and enjoyed the sun.

This far into the river, the Sea Nettles seemed scarce, so I braved a short swim. My first time in the water off our new boat!

Follow Me

2006-08-27T23:46:00.000-04:00

North Beach, 8/27/2006
Hours logged: 2.0

A "following sea" is a condition where the waves are moving in the same direction as the boat. In other words, they approach from behind. Particularly in rough weather, this is not a good thing.

Following seas present three main dangers:
1) A wave over the stern could swamp the boat;
2) The boat could crest a wave, gather speed down the front of it, and stuff the bow into the back of the next wave;
3) A wave can pick up the stern and set the boat beam-to (sideways) -- which is called a "broach" -- allowing the next wave to roll the boat. I think we can all agree that we don't want that to happen.

When piloting in a following sea, the strategy is to adjust the boat's speed to match the waves, and ride the back of a wave. Ideally, one would like to practice this technique in moderate conditions before confronting more severe conditions. On August 27, we had our chance for a little practice.

My parents were in town, and this was their first opportunity to see our "new" boat. We took a short trip down to Chesapeake Beach in the mid-morning, intending to tie up at the local marina, walk to nearby North Beach, and find brunch. Chesapeake Beach was once a major recreation destination for Washington and Baltimore, with a boardwalk, band shell, amusement rides, beaches, casinos, and hotels. In the 1890's, a railway provided transportation to and from DC, while Baltimore visitors arrived by passenger steamship. The Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum preserves much of the history, including the decline that resulted from a hotel fire and financial problems during the depression.

As we secured our lines that day, the wind was kicking up a bit and the National Weather Service was broadcasting a small craft advisory for later that day. We made a mental note to return before conditions worsened. We walked up to North Beach, made our way through the annual "BayFest" event, and found the Westlawn Inn open for brunch. It was a great find. The food was delicious, and brunch included a mimosa! We'll definitely be going back at some point. The walk from Chesapeake Beach was a bit long, so we'll look for a public dock in North Beach next time.

By the time we returned to the boat, the weather had already turned. We hastily prepared the boat for a wet ride, and set out eastward through the channel into the bay. The southerly wind was strong, and the tide was moving up the bay with it. My father and I were on the flybridge, but we quickly abandoned it for the shelter of the lower helm. We turned north out of the channel for our 45 minute cruise, and I immediately felt the push of the following sea. These were definitely the worst conditions Michele and I had encountered with our boat so far, and we'd be running from waves the whole way home. Michele and my mother sat in deck chairs facing aft, watching the crest behind us hover over the stern as I tried to keep pace with the waves. My father stood in the wheelhouse, helping me spot markers to find our way home in the limited visibility. Occasionally, we fell off our wave and felt the surge trying to shove us sideways, but a little rudder correction kept us on course. With a little relief, we finally made the turn to port into the more sheltered Herring Bay. Docking, even with the stiff wind, was pretty easy. I love this boat!

So, with all of that covered, let me admit that the conditions weren't really terrible, and we were back before the small craft advisory went into effect. But it was our first time out in our Cape Dory in anything resembling rough weather, and it was exactly the kind of practice I'd want.

Happy Birthday To Me

2006-08-20T21:00:00.000-04:00

Solomons, 8/18 - 8/20/2006
Hours logged: 6.75 (3.25 to Solomons, 3.5 returning)

We've been making some friends at the marina. We met Carlos and Ali, a couple from "E" dock , one night in the picnic area of our marina. We were waiting for our turn at one of the grills, and Carlos offered to share some space on the one he was using to prepare their dinner. We talked about taking our boats somewhere overnight and hanging out there together, and we finally started putting a plan in place to go to Solomons for a night or two, over 8/19 weekend, which happens to be my birthday.

Michele and I had some work obligations that almost spoiled the plan, but at the last minute we were able to get in touch with Carlos and Ali and revive it. Michele and I, with the slower boat, would get started earlier on Friday. They, with their twin-engine Doral, would catch up somewhere along the way.

So we set out, only to hear later from Carlos that they were having engine trouble and couldn't leave the dock. Unfortunately, we were passing through a Navy restricted area near Chesapeake Beach, and not able to turn back to get them. But a few minutes later, we revised the plan and agreed that they'd drive to Solomons and spend the night with us on our boat. A surprise, but not an unwelcome one! They brought their sheets and pillows and planned to sleep in the convertible bunk in the saloon. (Some time later, the USCG issued a Securite warning vessels of debris from a destroyed practice target in the restricted zone -- glad we didn't hang around for that!)

Carlos and Ali were there already when we arrived, and watched as we squeezed our boat into a tight slip. They stayed two nights there with us, and we had a great time. We ate very well and drank way too much wine. What a fun weekend! Spring Cove Marina is fantastic -- beautiful kept, nice pool, great private bathrooms, and very friendly people. We had a picnic at the marina one night, and walked into town for dinner at DiGiovanni's the other night.

Carlos joined us on the boat for the trip home, while Ali drove the car back. Along the way, we encountered an interesting situation. As we entered the bay from the Patuxent, we saw a huge (huge!) cargo ship in the distance, steaming north. We turned north and realized a short time later that we might need to divert our course to avoid the ship. As we got closer, we could see that the ship was accompanied by several coast guard boats and several tugs, one of which was astern of the ship, with a cable attached to it, and engines in full reverse -- clearly, trying to control the ship's speed. As several express cruisers passed us heading north, the two coast guard vessels circling the ship approached at high speed and cut off the path of the cruisers, turning us all back around to the south. As we watched over the next 30 minutes or so, the tugs turned the ship to port and guided it directly across the bay to Cove Point. We learned later that Cove Point is home to a natural gas pipeline, and the ship was carrying liquified natural gas. Fascinating!

The picture shows the pier at Cove Point. You can see our little dot of a boat in the middle of the channel. OK, just kidding, that's not really our boat. This is a picture from the Dominion Cove Point website, but it really serves to illustrate just how big these cargo ships are. Our boat is certainly no bigger than the small boat in the channel, so you can see why we'd want to stay out of the way. I really need to start bringing the camera on every trip!