Sun Sept 20- Heading home

By
Sunday morning looks perfect and we are moving shortly after the tea and coffee time.
Both engines purr as we work outbound in the Wye Island channel.  Along the way we spot the mega yacht Usher anchored also enjoying this place.  We first encountered Usher a few months ago when it anchored quite close to our home.  The opulent Usher is just one of several yachts we have recognized during this trip from previous encounters.

Our sails are up and engines off as soon as we clear the Wye Island channel.  The wind will be strong but favorable today.  Second Star is soon charging along.  Very quickly we are out of the Miles River and heading south in Chesapeake Bay.  







This day will turn into one of those special sails that become a cherished memory.  By 1 pm we are at the exit for our Plan A for today.  But with terrific sailing we choose to continue for a Plan B destination.  Second Star is moving quickly averaging something in the 8 knot range but occasionally hitting 12 knots surfing waves.  

Today's wind is somewhat unusual for Chesapeake Bay.  But the marine weather app tells the story.  Hurricane Teddy is off shore a bit and the entire East Coast is in an acceleration zone between a high pressure system and the low of the hurricane.  




In the late afternoon the wind built further and we reduced sail  area.  The smaller sail area did not diminish our speed.  We will finish the day screaming down an increasingly angry bay then making a skidding turn into the shelter of Cockrell's Creek in Virginia.  


Around 8PM, just after sunset we dropped anchor in Reedville right next to the fish processing plant.  Fortunately they were not cooking fish tonight so we did not have the odor from that. 

The miles covered today are normally a two day trip.  The boat took good care of us.  

We made a quick pot of Posole Rojo (real comfort food!)  and called it a night. I was aware of the wind whistling and the anchor groaning all night, but I was grateful to be snug & warm under my blanket.  Winds topped out at 30 kts around midnight.  

We're going to hang here for a day or two to let the now 8-10ft waves subside. So close to home, but just can't get any farther!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

April 2-4, 2023 Myrtle Beach to Cape Lookout

By
Image
 We slipped away from our place on the dock after three nights at Myrtle Beach Yacht Club and turned into the ICW heading north. An hour later we turned into Little River Inlet to pass into the open Atlantic Ocean.   We sailed north about 30 miles before returning to the ICW via Cape Fear River.  The Cape Fear River was in flood tide, which was very helpful making 15 miles north to Carolina Beach.  We took a mooring provided by the city of Carolina Beach after talking on the phone with Larry the Dockmaster who is just about the friendliest guy you ever met. He was very welcoming.  Sam was anxious for some shore time, so we dinghy-ed to the town dock and walked 1 block to the ocean beach. She seemed happy to ve back near the surf. On our last visit Larry told us the best burger in town could be found at the gas station next to the dinghy dock. We enjoyed it last time & it seemed like a good way to shortcut dinner while also filling our fuel jugs. ...
Read more

Fri Sept 11 Patuxtent River to Little Choptank

By
Image
We woke up to a ruckus.  These two were being quite chatty and apparently we were anchored near their tree.  They would jabber to each other, fly off to do some fishing, then come back to the tree to brag about their catch and, undoubtedly, the one that got away. We had some nice sailing leaving the Patuxent River, light rain with the sun peaking through now & then.  The skies began to darken and the wind picked up about 3 hours into the sail.  We ended up skating though 4-6 foot seas with 17-20 kt windsfor the rest of the day.  Lots of waves over the bow, a few crashing up over the cockpit windows.  We received a text message from friends Ed & Lynn that they were anchored in the Little Choptank River.  We were not far (as the crow flies) from there, and decided to join them. A few more hours of navigating the rough water and we dropped our anchor 100 feet away from them just at dusk.  They kindly invited us over for snacks ...
Read more

Day 22 & 23 Glouster, Mass- A Brief Intermission....

By
Image
When we arrived in Gloucester, MA Sunday afternoon it was incredibly hot, part of a heat wave involving most of the nation.  We turned on air conditioning; it was lovely. Monday we had planned to relax and not move the boat, waiting for more favorable winds to allow us to move north.  That turned out to be a good call, because I was feeling under the weather and slept most of the day.  Brent made me some pizza for dinner and we played a couple rounds of cribbage. (He won as usual.)  Sometime in the evening it started to rain, and continued to pour down all night. We needed to pull out a quilt to sleep under. Tuesday morning the rain had washed the boat thoroughly, and instead of being unbearably hot we were digging into our cooler weather clothes for sweaters and wool socks. What a change! We grabbed a lull in the rain to take Shelby ashore and explore.  We walked for a couple hours in a mostly light rain.  We toured downtown Glouchester, enjoying th...
Read more