Sept 6-7, 2020 We're off again!

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September and October are glorious times to be sailing on Chesapeake Bay.  The heat of summer is starting to give way to more moderate days and  cool nights.  The sea nettles that have been so abundant and made swimming unpleasant since late spring are finally gone. All year we have been saying we would take a nice long cruise in the fall to visit some of our favorite spots north of home.

Well here we are!  After some short duration, medium intensity planning we are provisioned and on our way.  The plan is to not have a plan or a timeline.  We will sail generally northward but day to day directions will be determined by wind, weather & whim.  We hope to occasionally cross paths with friends who are out doing the same thing on their own boats.

As usual we brought a ridiculous variety of food, because whereever we are we like to cook and bake and eat well.  Judging from the fullness of our  pantry we will do a lot of just that.

The cruise will be different this year, because for the first time in a very long time- maybe even the first time ever- it will be just Brent and Lois aboard.  Sadly our 18 year old Shelby passed away on April 1st this year.  She is very sorely missed.  She was a great companion and boat dog.

We spent Sunday of Labor Day weekend shopping for groceries, packing and hauling gear & provisions to the boat.  With the boat packed and waiting we couldn't think of a good reason to spend the night at the house, so around 7:30PM we pulled away from our dock and motored the 30 minutes to the Western Branch of our own Corrotoman River. We anchored after dark near the boat of our friends HB & Annie. Being already late we grabbed a simple dinner, then enjoyed the stars before heading off to sleep, tired from a full day.

In the morning we used the dinghy to slide over for a carefully distanced conversation with HB and Anne.  We were happy to have a chance to renew this friendship as we have all been isolating during the Covid-19 epidemic for 7 months!  We jumped at the chance to talk to them, even if everyone stayed on  their own boat.

It got quite chilly during the night, so we backtracked to the house to pick up some warmer clothes. We learned our lesson on a trip to Maine when Lois had only packed 3 hot weather shirts in July!  Bring duds for all weather conditions.

At the mouth of the Rapahannock River we left our home waters in our wake and headed north in Chesapeake Bay.  With the light wind it was all motoring or motor sailing today.  The waters were a bit crowded with the Labor Day holiday, but there were no problems.  We dropped anchor in Dividing Creek near a nature reserve we hope to explore tomorrow.  We had a long relax sitting on the trampoline of Second Star watching the afternoon turn into evening.  

Dinner was a minor production of Mexican food, taking advantage of the fully stocked galley. After dinner we tried out a new board game, enjoying the cool breeze coming off the Bay.

As the evening wears on the change of the tide is gently rocking us.  Off in the distance we can see large ships working their way across the Bay in the darkness. Happy sailors at the end of Day 1.

(Fantastic lead photo by neighbor Kirsten Beatley)


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