Wednesday - Little Choptank to Deale

Continuing the trip theme of adventure, we had our first thunderstorm while on board last night. The wind was predicted to shift during the night from south to northwest. This can be trouble when anchored because the anchor is set in one direction and it can pop out and drag if pulled from a radically different direction.

The wind shifted rapidly around 11:30. The anchor held but with the new wind direction, Helix had shallow water just behind it. We decided to reset the anchor which was tough in the pitch dark with howling wind. We fell back on training from one of our sailing classes and used hand signals (I could not hear Steve from the bow as he worked the anchor line and I drove). It worked perfectly and the new position was much better because it gave us time to react if the anchor did drag. I left the GPS running with an anchor drag alarm set and the anchor held nicely despite lots of wind and the storm.

This morning was gray, windy, and rainy.


We cooked some pancakes and then headed out. With strong wind out of the northwest and big waves, we were in for a long day of motoring to get home. In the early morning the wind was very strong and the waves were 3 to 4+ feet. The bow would pitch up and then down and crash into the next wave just like it does on the crab boats in Deadliest Catch. I tried to get a picture of this but it was hard to time. This is the best I got.

With the rain we had all the canvas coverings up and we had to steer through the dodger which gives limited visibility.
We got almost out of the Little Choptank but the progress was so slow against the wind and wave action that I got worried about our fuel levels (bouncing between 1/4 and empty). We turned around and went all the way back up Slaughter Creed to get more diesel. The second time we made it out and across the bay. As the wind died down from 25 knots to ~ 18 knots, we put out some jib which steadied the boat and increased our speed. Late in the afternoon the sun came out and we had a few hours of nice motor sailing.

We made it back the Herrington Harbor around 6:30 PM. The last day was not great but it is good to learn to handle nasty headwinds and waves. The trip overall was terrific. By far the most sailing we have ever done in a 5 day stretch and a few days were absolutely perfect. The final trip total was 232 nautical miles and we were underway for 57.5 hours over a 5 day period so more than 11 hours per day on the water. Not bad at all.

Tuesday - Solomons to Little Choptank

We decided to see Solomons this morning. The marina had loaner bikes so we could ride out to breakfast, some local stores and then to the waterman museum. The women at the marina assured me that my pink bike with a basket on it was a 'men's' bike.


The museum was not open yet but we talked our way in to the boats area to look around. It was really cool. Here is a tiny skiff that they used to use for crabbing on the Tangier sound that we sailed yesterday. It is a really cool design but I can't believe they went out in these little things where we sailed in big waves yesterday.

Solomons really turned out to be a highlight of the trip. Great marina and a fun little town.

After our morning touring, we headed out on the water for an awesome downwind sail. The wind was strong but when you are running with the wind, it turns into an easy going, fast sail.

I put fishing rod holders on the boat this year so the rock fish don't take the pole like last year.

Here is an ambitious tug we passed on the way up maybe hauling a load from the quarry we passed last year.


The first creek in the Little Choptank that we tried anchoring in (Slaughter creek) just did not feel right. Not enough protection plus a name that did not engender confidence. We headed back out and found a new spot in Fishing Creek. Here is where we spend the night.

After we got anchored, I headed out in the dinghy to see what the bay would provide for dinner. After watching many episodes of survivor man I knew what had to be done. Here is what I came up with for us to dine on with the left over rice from Sunday.

Monday - Chrisfield to Solomons

Last night Steve asked our waitress Jessica in Chrisfield what we should make sure to see in Chrisfield given that we were in town for such a short time. She replied "absolutely nothing". So, we took her advice and left very early in the morning.

Today really made up for all the motoring yesterday. We were in a great position to take advantage of the south wind today and it was a really big sail, high action day.




We headed up the Tangier Sound and through Hooper Strait. The narrow twisting strait in combination with crab pots required lots precision navigation, good sailing, and quick maneuvering. Of course the wind kicked up to 23 knots right when we hit the strait. Here is a picture of the starboard port under water. We hit a solid 35 degrees of heel to make some of the marks on up wind legs.

There were some big waves in the open bay when we crossed and fish nets, more crab pots, and tanker traffic to deal with.

The challenges only added to a perfect day of really fun sailing. Good weather, good wind, and a nice section of the bay. Could not have been better.

A pelican we saw in action by Deal Island:











We arrived in Solomons at 4:00 and had plenty of time to explore the town, the marina, and get a great dinner. I really like Solomons, great marina, lots of good restaurants, and a perfect stop over on a sailing trip.

For tomorrow we were considering getting some more groceries for the overnight anchored out in the Little Choptank but instead I have volunteered to provide dinner by fishing / crabbing for it when we arrive. Tomorrow I will post a pic of the bounty which the Bay will undoubtedly provide.

Sunday - St Marys to Crisfield

The wind was predicted to be very light and from the southeast today (wrong direction for us) so with no good sailing in the cards, we blew up the dinghy and rowed in to explore historic St Marys City before heading out. Here is where we were anchored last night.


There is a cool replica here of the Dove, a British ship that brought settlers to Maryland in 1634.


We toured the various trails through St Marys City and learned how to make a fence 'horse high, pig tight, and bull strong'. We also went through a replica Yaocomico Indian village (a real village wasn't here because the settlers ran them off after they helped the settlers learn to survive). Steve found a Yaocomico earring while hunting a 4 point buck on the swamp trail. We did not pay to get in so we only got to see outlines of the settler buildings:

If any of my young blog readers are considering a career in archeology, here is what you have to look forward to. (If you can't read the sign, it says Archeology Department).


On the way out of St Marys, I won the regular Sunday morning dinghy limbo contest while going to get Steve from the convenient spot he selected for pick up.


The trip to Crisfield was tough because it was basically all motoring. We did catch a bit of wind while crossing to the Eastern Shore. Here is Steve's preferred side saddle sailing technique.


The bay is much wider down here. It takes hours of sailing before you can see the other side when sailing East. Here is a strange light house, Solomons Lump, that we passed on the way into Crisfield. It sits off-center on its base.


We decided not to go down around Tangier as it would just be more motoring and not quite as fun as sailing down around it into Virginia waters. As it was it took 7 1/2 hours to get to Crisfield. On the way we passed the top of Smith Island. The land sits all of 4 inches above water level and people live there.


Tomorrow we head to Solomons and the wind is predicted to be strong and in the right direction!

Saturday - All Day Sail to St Marys

We made it from Deale to St Marys City. It was a 13 hour day of sailing today with some really great conditions. We got to the boat the previous night and started early. Here is what Helix looks like at 6:30 in the morning:



We started off with kicking down wind run that hit a top speed of 8.7 knots (Steve again was at the wheel for the record).

This was a really nice stretch of the bay with high cliffs and some relatively undeveloped areas. We were able to run fairly close to the shore. It was a bit cold hence the 'Unisailor' look.

We passed Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant. For some reason they built it on a slight tilt to the left.
Here is the Point No Point lighthouse - Past the Patuxent but not quite to the Potomac. We had some trouble again with the raw water system on the way out in the morning. The wind died around this point so Steve sailed while I worked on the engine and wound up fixing it with the fly swatter. It is running cooler now than it ever has.


After entering the Potomac, we ran up to the St Mary river and motored up the river. It is a really quiet river with great scenery. We anchored right near St Mary City just after sunset and cooked up the shrimp. All in all off to a great start.

New Spring - New Quest

It is time again for another extended Chesapeake Spring sailing trip. Last year we headed North and made it all the way to the top of the Bay. This year we head South with the goal of rounding Tangier island which sits just below the Maryland / Virginia line. The first day will be a very long run as we are trying to make it to St Marys City. Here is the current plan: