Managed to get ashoreof Fishers Island after the showers on Thursday
27th and found the shop (there is only one) to top up supplies, also
ran into a woman from Hong Kong working a veg plot who sold me some fresh
tomatoes, the following day was somewhat stormy with winds South East (my
intended route) so no point in leaving, just bobbed about a bit.
On Saturday 29th with forecasts not too
encouraging, but feeling cold, so pulled up the anchor at 9am with 20knots of
wind, which died to a breath as we left West Bay! So again motoring with the
main up, mist came in at midday but cleared within a couple of hours, but still
not enough wind to sail. The full moon showed itself briefly but the night was
mostly overcast, I did see four large sail boats and two flights of ducks also
heading south. On Sunday morning we were surrounded by black clouds and I saw a
waterspout behind, but it didn’t come our way. Wind came round for a while
allowing us to sail for a while, but had to refurl the jib for a stormy night,
two small birds came aboard for a while eating the flies blown in on the wind.
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| Leaving Long Island Sound |
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| Water Spout |
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| Fly catching companion |
Monday 1st October was our best day for
sailing, although we did have to make three tacks the final one giving a direct
route into Delaware Bay, however at midnight the wind died completely, so
restarted the engine and motored the rest of the way into Cape Henlopen,
anchoring close to where we were before, at 11am on Tuesday, doing 6 ½ knots
with the incoming tide. After securing the anchor and stowing the sails, the
heavens opened, so I stuck my head out of the hatch and washed my hair, warm
rain again! Wednesday was a lovely warm day and deciding not to move today
serviced the engine and aired boat and bedding in warm sun.
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| Sunset at Cape Henlopen |
Up before dawn and raised anchor at 6am to get best
use of current flowing up Delaware bay, a little fog about, however the fog got
worse until visibility was less than 20meters until we were about ¾ way up the
bay, thank goodness for GPS and AIS, I kept as far out of the shipping channel
as I could. The current turned against me with about 10 miles to go and when a
head wind (after no wind all day) sprang up I was doing less than 1knot so
pulled over well off the channel and anchored for four hours until the current
changed the pressed on to Reedy Island dyke anchoring at half past midnight, it
was a clear night and the moon was out, and no other boats in the anchorage,
although the entrance was very narrow and only one side lit.
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| Fog in the lower Delaware Bay |
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| Peaceful Reedy Island |
Had a good lie in
in the morning as we did not need to leave before11am, to catch the favourable
current through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, another nice sunny day with
little wind (just as well as not allowed to sail in the canal) There is no
speed limit in the canal so power boats roar up and down leaving us bobbing in
their wake, the worst was a tug only doing 12knots but his wake kept reflecting
off the sides for about a mile! After leaving the C&D canal we pulled over
into the Bohemia River and anchored near the entrance in 2.9m although there is
only about 1/2m tide here.
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| enteering C&D Canal |
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| Chesapeake end of Canal |
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| Sunset in Bohemia River |
I moved closer to the marina near the end of the
navigable river (it’s all pretty shallow) and refilled all fuel cans, on
Saturday 6th and moved back
out again on Sunday doing a little ploughing through some shallow parts. We weighed
anchor at 7.45am on Monday 8th on a crisp clear morning, motor
sailing into the Sassafras River and down to Georgetown, it is a pretty river
with high sandy banks topped with trees, we anchored at the end of the mooring
field in 4m at 1pm. Very protected and peaceful (it is known as a hurricane
hole) I went ashore and walked the 1 ½ miles to Galena (the nearest town with
provisions) I ran out of bread two days ago and nothing in Bohemia river, or
Georgetown.
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| The dreaded crab pots being laid in upper Chesapeake |
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| Sassafras River from anchorage |
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| At anchor off Georgetown |
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| Morning companions |
We weighed anchor again on Thursday 11th at
7.15am to make use of outgoing current, coming across a deer swimming across
the river; raising the sails when we were in the open bay unfortunately the
wind stared easing so had to motorsail again, we were making good time so
decided to go for Bodkin Creek on the West coast of the Chesapeake, anchored
well into the creek, again a shallow area, in 2m at 5pm; although well
protected and peaceful the creek is built up on all sides, so decided to move
on tomorrow.
We left Bodkin Creek at 6.45am Friday 12th
to get out at highish tide, and also the forecast for Friday afternoon and
night is not good. Motorsailed in light winds to the Magothy River and anchored
behind Dobbins Island to get shelter from the forecast strong Northerly wind,
in 3m just before 10am.
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| Deer in the Sassafras River |
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| Bodkin Creek |
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| Sunrise in the Northern Chesapeake |
On Saturday 13th I found the water tanks
empty, and traced it to two plastic clamps having broken and the pipe parted under
the sink in the heads, consequently the forward bilge was full, so having
pumped the bilge out (the electric pump packed up) by hand and replaced the
clips, I started checking around and found a plate on the mast had come loose,
it allows the mast sliders to be removed, being held by a stainless bolt into
the aluminium mast, would not tighten all I could do for now was to wrap the
bolt in thread tape, not very satisfactory but will have to do for now. While I
was relaxing later on there was a call from outside, a man in a sailboat was
hailing me, he said he lived close by and said if I was still here tomorrow
(Monday) I could go over to his dock and refill my water tanks (he did not know
of my misfortune) have a shower and he could drive me out to the nearest shops
for supplies!
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| The Magothy River |
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| Sunset in the Magothy River |
I also had a text from Marce & Jack of the cat
Escape velocity saying Annapolis is not crowded out, the US motorboat show is
on, if I wanted to move down; the weather forecast for Sunday and Monday were
not good, with medium to strong headwinds, but decided to see what it looked
like in the morning, Saturday having been a glorious day.
Consequently on Sunday having sniffed the air and
decided to go for it, I raised the anchor at 8am, the winds were 15 to 20knots
but SW, not the forecast Southerly so did
manage to sail for a while; however as I was raising the anchor the
winch stuck in the on position so I had to rush back and disconnect the
battery, then while sailing remove the fanbelt of the 24v alternater, hoping no
damage had been done to it. The swell was on the bow 1-3m so was not too bad, I
had to furl the jib to get under the bridges as the wind was head on (the jib
just flogs in that wind and ends up slowing us) and restarted the engine, to
motorsail the remainder of the way. Closing on the entrance to back creek I had
to pass between two groups of racing fleets and having accomplished that one
group promptly altered course straight for me one boat actually forced another
to turn right at my midships about 40yards out, forcing me to alter course
dramatically, no contact was made apart from verbal and we anchored in Back
Creek Annapolis at 11.30 without further mishap, after which Marce and Jack
showed me around town and gave me supper. Today is an overcast drizzling day so
have removed the anchor winch solenoid (burned out) and partly refilled the
water tanks.
