Chapter VI - Heading North Again

April 1, 2004 - Banana River - Indian Harbour Beach, FL

I left the dock this morning and anchored in the Banana River, just north of the marina.  Roger and Gus helped with the dock lines and Tom came with me as we motored out to the Indian River to test the prop for fouling. It seemed fine and I was able to motor at my normal cruising speed without any noticeable vibration. After anchoring we rowed ashore in 
my dinghy. With both of us in the dinghy we exceeded the maximum allowable weight as specified by the little sticker on the transom and it was hard rowing, so I dropped Tom off at the little beach by the bridge and I rowed back to the marina dock. I'll be anchored here for a few days until we head up to Cocoa sometime this weekend.

April 5, 2004 - Cocoa, FL

We left Indian Harbour Beach at around 10:00 a.m. The wind was from the north at around 10 knots and it was a warm sunny morning. The Canadian Women's Kayak Team was out in the Banana River doing sprints in their racing kayaks. A large number of teams practice here in Indian Harbour Beach and there are kayaks and skull everywhere. A lot of the team 
members stay at the apartment complex across from the marina.

The morning warmed up as we headed up the Indian River towards Cocoa where we would spend the night. I've never stopped in Cocoa before since it's only a half-day trip from Indian Harbour Beach, but we are purposely moving north slowly so that we don't catch up with cold the weather.  We arrived in Cocoa at around 1 p.m., had lunch then went in to walk around Cocoa Village. Later I pulled my dinghy up on the boat ramp near the dock and 
cleaned the bottom. 

April 6, 2004 - Titusville, FL

The next morning was warm with light winds out of the east and we left Cocoa at around 10 a.m. for the short trip to Titusville. We motor-sailed for a while but then the wind died so we rolled in the Genoas.  We arrived in Titusville at around 1:30, had lunch and went into town for a while.  There's not much to see in Titusville so we walked around the boatyard 
then went back to out boats.  On the way in I noticed Charlie on Kiawah, a C&C 36 I had met on the way down in the fall anchored near by.  Charlie stopped to talk for a while as he was heading into the dock in his dinghy. He told me that he had anchored right next to my friend Bill on Magnolia while he was in Marathon this winter.  Charlie said he was heading to 
Daytona tomorrow and then to St. Augustine for a few days. I said that was pretty much our plan and we would probably see him there. For dinner Patty made her delicious grilled ham and cheese sandwiches (the best ham & cheese I've ever had).

April 7, 2004 - Daytona Beach, FL

We left Titusville at around 8:00 a.m. and headed north towards Daytona Beach.  There was a light west wind so we motor-sailed with the genoas rolled out much of the way.  It was sunny and warm again and we had a pleasant trip of 47 miles to Daytona Beach.  We anchored south of the Memorial Bridge in about 10' of water towards the eastern shore.

As we were approaching the anchorage I noticed Charlie trying to get into the anchorage on the western shore near marker R44. Skipper Bob's said that this anchorage had filled in to less than 4' and Charlie appeared to be aground.  I called him on the VHF bit he didn't answer at first. Pat tried him latter and told him how to get into the anchorage on the eastern shore where we were. After he got free he attempted to enter our anchorage but went aground again.  This time a nearby powerboat was able to pull him off.  He finally got in and anchored nearby.

We plan to stay here for a day and see the sights on shore.  I've anchored in Daytona Beach twice before, but on went ashore once to make a phone call at the marina.  We'll be moving on to St. Augustine from here.

April 9, 2004 - St Augustine, FL

We spent Thursday in Daytona Beach. At around 11:00 a.m. Tom and Patty picked me up in their dinghy and we motored to Halifax Harbor Marina and tied up at the dinghy dock.  From there we walked to the library then stopped for lunch and a fruit store where I bought the best tangerines I've ever had.  I should have written down the name because I've forgotten 
it already.  I never really cared for tangerines, but these were exceptional.  On the way back to the boat I bought 5 gallons of diesel at the marina fuel dock.

In the morning we left at 7:30 to catch the 7:45 bridge opening and motored on to St. Augustine.  The wind was light but right on the nose so we didn't bother rolling out the genoas.  We arrived in St. Augustine at around 3:30 and Swan pulled into the fuel dock at the Municipal Marina.  I looked for a spot to anchor on the south side of the bridge but didn't find anything to my liking so I decided to try the north side.  As I was waiting for the bridge to open, Patty called me on the VHF and said that there alternator had seized when they re-started their engine after fueling.  Tom was trying to install a spare 
alternator they were carrying and they decided to take a slip for the night.

As I waited for the bridge to open, a trawler passed under the bridge and I watched as it anchored in the spot I had been eyeing.  I scouted the anchorage but could only find a spot in 25-30 feet of water, or close to the bridge, so I proceeded on to another anchorage in Salt Run.  There were a lot of boats moored and anchored here but it was a more secluded 
and quieter anchorage without the swift currents and large wakes of the other two anchorages.  The only downside was that it was about two miles from downtown, bit that was no problem since I have a bike.  I picked a spot almost at the end of the anchorage and had a peaceful, quiet night.

April 16, 2004 - Cumberland Island, GA

We spent five days in St Augustine and were anxious to get going again.  A cold front had come through and we decided to wait it out since we were in no hurry.  Besides, it's not fun traveling north against a strong cold north wind and it was blowing 25 -30 knots for a few days.  Luckily there's a lot to see in St Augustine.  It's one of my favorite stops along the way.

The night before we left, after I had just gotten back to my boat, one of the 'Parasailing Boats' from the marina came into the anchorage in Salt Run to tow away one of the boats that had been anchored there.  They tied a line to the sailboat and began to tow it out of the anchorage.  They were moving at a good clip when all of the sudden the parasail boat suddenly slowed down to a crawl.  They looked around for a few minutes then one of the guys on the parasail boat yelled back to the guy on the sailboat, "Hey!  You might want to pull in the anchor." 

On Thursday we left around 8:00 a.m. and I stopped at the Conch House Marina in Salt Run near where I was anchored for fuel and water.  Our next stop would be the Ft George River about 40 miles north of St Augustine.  It was a little cool in the morning but it was a real nice day.  We arrived at the Ft George River at around 3:00 p.m. and we anchored just past the dock in front of the plantation (see Chapter V) on Ft George Island.

The next day we would be heading to Cumberland Island, but on the way I would be stopping at Fernandina Beach to get a quick physical exam for my new health insurance policy.  Tom and Pat would continue on to Cumberland Island, which was five miles further on and meet up with mw there.  I arrived at Fernandina Beach at around 10:00 a.m. at put out my lines and fenders so that I could pull up to the large dock at the Fernandina Harbor Marina.  The paramedic, who administers the exam, travels to the customers home or workplace, and I planned to tie up at the marina so she do the exam on the boat.  As I approached the dock the attendant called me on the radio called and said that he would have no room because he was expecting to cruise ships to arrive shortly.  So, I had to anchor on the other side of the river and row in to the marina to wait for Toni the paramedic.  I had no idea where she would perform the exam and imagined having to sit on a park bench as people walked by wondering what was going on.  She arrived at around 2:00 p.m. and she spotted an empty laundry room at the marina which turned out to be perfect.  She said the performed exams in stranger places in the past.

I arrived at the anchorage at 4:00 p.m. and anchored just past the ranger station near Tom and Pat and rowed over to their boat for drinks.  The next day we would spend exploring the island.  Looking out the windows we could see wild horses grazing along the shore.  The travel guide says that there are also some old mansions to explore.  The island is a protected area known as the 'Cumberland Island National Seashore'.

April 17, 2004 - Cumberland Island, GA

After breakfast we took a dinghy ride over to the docks at the ranger station and walked along some of the trails on the island.  We stopped at the ruins of the Dungeness estate, then had lunch and walked to the beach on the eastern side of the island.  The island is almost 20 miles long so we saw only a small portion of it.  The island is isolated since there are no roads or bridges connecting the island, but there is a small ferry that will transport cars, one or two at a time, to the island.  Along the trails we saw wild horses grazing on the grass near the old icehouse, which was part of the Dungeness estate, and an armadillo routing in the grass.  The armadillo let us walk right up to it a seemed not to notice us.  Later on we climbed into the dinghy and headed back to the boats.

April 21, 2004 - Beaufort, SC

On Sunday morning we left Cumberland Island and headed north towards St Simons Island, GA.  It would be about 40 miles to the next anchorage and we estimated that we would be there by mid afternoon.  We headed up the Frederica River when we arrived and anchored in about 11 feet of water by Fort Frederica.  It was another beautiful day and we had a pleasant trip.

The next morning we left we got a fairly earlier start, as our trip would be about 58 miles to Kilkenny Creek.  Tom and Pat would be staying at the marina, and I would anchor nearby.  They would be meeting a friend and going out to dinner.  I needed to do scheduled maintenance on the boat so I stayed behind.  I change engine oil every 50 hours, oil filter every 100 hours, and primary and secondary fuel filters every 300 hours.  Today I needed to do all four.  I finished it all by 6:30 p.m. before the sun went down.  In the morning I pulled into the marina to fuel up and top off my water tanks, then we were on our way again.

From Kilkenny Creek we had a short trip up to the Herb River in Thunderbolt, GA, which is a few miles outside of Savannah.  It was partly cloudy and mild day, and we had a pleasant trip of about 29 miles.  We anchored in about 8 feet of water just around the first bend of the Herb River just past some waterfront homes.  When I say feet of water, I mean at MLW (Mean Low Water) or the average low tide for the area.  Most of Georgia has and 8 to 9 foot average tide, which is about peak tide for the trip.  The tidal range gradually gets smaller as you move north through South Carolina and North Carolina, and by the time you reach the Chesapeake, you only have a foot or two to contend with.

After leaving the Herb River we crossed the Savannah River into South Carolina.  We traveled up the Calibogue Sound passed Hilton Head and up the Port Royal Sound passed and Parris Island.  I was able to set my autopilot and relax for long stretches since we were traveling across some wider bodies of water.  It was another nice day, and the wind was light and from the south.  We arrived in Beaufort, SC just before 4:00 p.m., which was just in time to make it through the Ladies Island Bridge before the rush hour restrictions (the bridge doesn't open between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays).  We anchored in Factory Creek amongst some waterfront homes.  We were thinking of anchoring over by the Municipal Marina, which is right in downtown Beaufort, but it was very crowded when we arrived.

After I anchored, a couple came over in their dinghy.  They had called on the VHF earlier and asked about my boat.  They said that had just bought a Pearson 323 back home in Virginia and were interested in seeing my boat.  I invited them aboard and gave them a quick tour.  Afterwards, I stopped by Swan for drinks.  We plan on staying here for a few days, probably through the weekend since the nice weather is supposed to be around a while.

April 27, 2004 - Charleston, SC

We left Beaufort on Saturday and head north to Tom Point Creek, which is about halfway between Beaufort and Charleston.  The previous day we had an a private air show put on by the US Navy Blue Angels who were screaming over our boats as we lay anchored in Factory Creek.  They were practicing for and air show on Sunday at the Naval Air Station out side of Beaufort.  We didn't want to hang around that long, so we decided to move on.

We arrived at Tom Point Creek at around 3:30 p.m. and anchored past the first bend in the creek.  Tom and Patty came by my boat with some cold beers and we enjoyed drinks on my boat this time (I keep a cold beer on Swan since I haven't installed refrigeration yet).  In the morning Tom and Patty left for Charleston and had reserved a slip for three nights at the Charleston Harbour Marina since they had arranged to have a new alternator delivered there.  I decided to hand out at Tom Point Creek and meet up with them at Charleston since it was such a nice peaceful anchorage, and I wanted to catch up on my reading.

I arrived in Charleston at around noon on Tuesday, and anchored in the Ashley River just across from the City Marina and called Tom and Pat when I got to shore.  They were out when I called, so I rode downtown to the Market and down Meeting Street to look at all of the mansions.  I stopped for lunch at the Sweetwater Cafe on Market Street, and later called Tom and Pat.  They had just picked up their alternator and were going to install it later on.  If everything goes well with the installation, we'll be leaving in the morning.

May 5, 2004 - Myrtle Beach, SC

We decided to spend another day in Charleston and leave on Thursday.  Since Tom and Pat were staying in a marina on the other side of the city, we met at the marina shuttle drop off on Market Street.  We had lunch at the King Street Cafe then walked through the shops along Market St.  In the morning I stopped at the City Marina for fuel and water and we were on our way by 8:00 a.m.  We traveled about 55 miles and anchored in Minim Creek for the night.  Along the way I spotted a Bald Eagle high up a bare tree along the waterway.  I've seen three so far and they have always been at the top of bare trees.

The next morning we left for Bucksport, SC.  Tom and Pat were planning to stop at the Bucksport Marina, which charged $0.75 per foot for a slip, and $5.00 for electricity.  It came to about $30.00 a night.  I decided to checkout a nice looking creek about 4 miles south of Bucksport.  It turned out to be a beautiful, well protected anchorage with lots of room, so I decided to stay here instead of at the marina.  The forecast was for showers and thunderstorms for the next 3-4 days, so a stay at the marina would end up costing about $120.00 since we wouldn't be traveling for the next few days.  Besides, I had found one of the best anchorages I have seen so far.  I tried to talk Tom and Pat into coming down here, but they wanted to stay at the marina.  We talked to each other at 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on the VHF for the next few days.

We left Bucksport on Tuesday morning and headed up to Barefoot Landing, which is a 500' free dock at a large outlet mall near Myrtle Beach.  The place usually fills up early and we were hoping we would be able to find a spot at the dock.  Fortunately it was only about 24 miles from Bucksport so we arrived at around 11:30 a.m. and were able to tie up with no trouble.  There was plenty of room at the dock.  There is full moon right now, so the tidal range has been larger than normal.  At low tide this afternoon, I was only inches from the bottom.  Swan, which has a 6-foot draft, was sitting in the mud.

May 6, 2004 - Wrightsville Beach, NC

We left Barefoot Landing and headed toward Wrightsville Beach, NC.  We would be crossing the Lockwood Ferry inlet, which had been reported to be shoaled across the waterway to about 6' MLW.  It wouldn't be a problem for my boat, which draws only 4' 4", but it might be for Swan which draws 6'.  Passing through Lock wood Folly posed no problem since we went through with a favorable tide and saw about 8'.  We stopped in Southport at an  anchorage known as the Pipeline Canal and anchored for the night and anchored with three other boats.

In the morning we headed to Wrightsville Beach.  We saw favorable currents heading up the Cape Fear River and made good time, reaching Wrightsville Beach at around 1:30 p.m.  I let Swan go into the anchorage first and pick a spot while I waited for them to set their anchor.  They seemed to be having trouble getting their anchor to set so they moved around trying several spots.  After waiting a while I went up and to the right of the first spot they tried and found that my anchor dug right in and set well.  After a few more tries they finally got their anchor to hold.

May 8, 2004 - Mile Hammock Bay, NC

It was a Thursday but still the anchorage was warming with small boat buzzing back and forth and high speed.  There are many homes along the shore with private docks and boats, yet there wasn't a 'No Wake Zone' posted anywhere.  Boats would pass at whatever speed they wanted and roll the small boats at the docks.  We decided that we didn't want to be here on a weekend.

On Saturday morning I left the anchorage at 6:00 a.m. to make the first of three bridges before the restrictions.  These bridges are not well timed for a sailboat and you sometimes end up waiting around for an hour or more.  I also wanted to get to the New River Inlet close to high tide because it is reported shoaled to 4' MLW for a short distance.  Swan decided to leave later and stop at a marina a few miles before the inlet for the night.

I got to the fist bridge at 6:30 and the bridge tender opened it right away.  I got to the second bridge just in time for it's next opening and then pushed it to make the last bridge.  I was able to get there just before the next opening so I hardly had to wait at all and was able to make the New River Inlet with plenty of time to spare.  At the second bridge I had met up with a sailboat named Tara, which had left Wrightsville Beach shortly after me.  I asked them if they were going to try to make the New River Inlet today.  They didn't know about the shoaling and I told them that they could probably make through if they pushed it a bit.  Like Swan, they also drew 6'.

They got to the inlet a little before me and said that there was no problem getting across and that they saw about 12' in the area where the shoaling was reported.  As I passed the shoaled area, I also saw about 12', but then just for a second or to depth sounder read 6.5'.  I concluded that they must not have been looking at their depth sounder at the instant they passed over the shoal.

I arrived at the Mile Hammock Bay anchorage at Camp LeJeune at around 1:30.  Aside from a small powerboat that was anchored there for the afternoon, I was the only boat there.  During the afternoon several more boats pulled into the anchorage and by sunset I was anchored with about 10 other boats.

May 9, 2004 - Beaufort, NC

After breakfast the next morning I left Mile Hammock Bay and headed up towards the Bogue Sound.  I was a beautiful Sunday morning with lots of boats on the water.  I motor-sailed the length of the sound and arrived at Beaufort and around 2:00 p.m.  The anchorage at Taylor Creek was crowded as usual and I cruised by looking for a spot to anchor.  With not much room to anchor, I decided to lay two anchors of the bow near one of the channel markers in the creek.  Not what I preferred, but there wasn't much of a choice.  As I was about to drop my second anchor, a nearby trawler called me on the VHF and suggested that I take one of the empty mooring balls nearby.  They said that the mooring to the right of them had been empty for a couple of days, so I pulled in my anchor and moved over to the mooring.  I later learned that a lot of these moorings had been abandoned by their owners so you can usually just grab one that you find empty.  The few that have not been abandoned usually have the owners boat name stenciled on the mooring ball.

Swan was about an hour behind me today since they stayed at the marine back before the New River Inlet.  When I saw them coming into the anchorage, I called them on my handheld VHF from shore and told them to grab a mooring ball that was empty.  I walked around town for about an hour then rowed back to the boat then over to Swan for a beer.

In the morning I went into town early and had breakfast a new coffee shop (which had great coffee) and stopped at the library, then headed over to the North Carolina Maritime Museum and signed up for a free car for 1:00.  Called Swan and said to meet me at the museum at 1:00.  We rode into Morehead City, about 10 miles away and stopped at Wal-Mart and for a burger for me since I hadn't eaten lunch.

May 12, 2004 - Belhaven, NC

The next morning we stopped for breakfast in town with a British couple that had come over to Swan the previous night for drinks.  They owned a 41' Westerly like Swan but larger (Swan is 33').  After breakfast we left for an anchorage on the South River, a few miles north of Oriental, NC.  The anchorage was several miles out of the way but we arrived early in the afternoon and anchored with two other boats.

From the South River we headed toward Belhaven, NC.  Tom and Pat wanted to stay at a marina, and I pulled into a quiet anchorage at Pungo Creek.  In the morning I went over to the Waterside Marina and Hotel for fuel and breakfast.  The marina has a beautiful old mansion that has been converted into a hotel.  I walked into the lobby and asked about breakfast and was taken into the kitchen where the hostess poured me a cup of coffee and heated two biscuit and sausage sandwiches.  I sat down in the dinning room and ate my breakfast then walked over to the fuel dock a bought some diesel.  When I walked back to the hotel to pay.  The hostess would only take money for the fuel and said that the breakfast was complementary.

May 17, 2004 - Norfolk, VA

Tom had decided that he wanted to make an 82 mile, 12 hour run from Belhaven, NC to a marina at Coinjock, VA the next day because he didn't like any of the anchorages along the way.  I made the trip in two days and anchored in a wide, calm anchorage in the lower section of the Alligator River with 11 other boats.  Then continued on to anchorage at Broad Creek just south of Coinjock, VA.  We met up at the free dock at Great Bridge, VA about 12 miles south of Norfolk.  Tom and Patty left the next day because they wanted to head up to a marina in Norfolk to escape the heat (they have AC on their boat, but it only runs when they're plugged in at a dock).  I went into town and bought some groceries, talked with Steve on Adios about the Bahamas, and later went over to Moe's Southwestern Grill for a late lunch.

The next morning I left the Great Bridge dock in time to make the 9:00 a.m. opening of the lock.  After the lock I traveled past four lift and swing bridges towards Norfolk.  A sailboat traveling with me was mistakenly calling the Jordan Bridge every time he came to one of the bridges.  "Jordan Highway Bridge this is (boat name).  I am seeking passage.  Can you help me?", he would say whenever he came to a bridge.  Hearing him, the Jordan Bridge bridge tender would reply, "I don't see you, (boat name)."  I would then call the boat and tell him which bridge he actually at.  He would repeat this for each bridge he came to, always calling the Jordan Bridge.  By the time he actually got to the Jordan Bridge, he had probably gotten frustrated and didn't bother to call.

When I arrived in Norfolk at about noon, I anchored in the anchorage at Hospital Point near the Portsmouth Naval Hospital.  About an hour later Swan left the marina nearby where they had spent the previous night, and anchored nearby.  We took Swan's dinghy over to the dinghy dock at Town Point and went to Hooters for lunch.  We later walked around the mall, then went over to the library and back to the boat.

May 19, 2004 Hampton, VA

From Norfolk we took a short trip across Hampton roads to Mill Creek and anchored near the bridge-tunnel.  After lunch we took Swan's dinghy over to Fort Monroe to walk tour the fort and the museum.  The anchorage was somewhat exposed to South West winds so it was a bit rolly that night.  Neither Tom nor I had slept well that night, but Patty slept like a log.

May 22, 2004 - St Marys, MD

We left Hampton, VA and turned east into Hampton Roads towards the Chesapeake Bay.  As we neared the bay we encountered a nasty chop with short steep waves.  The boat would rise up on a wave then crash down into the next.  At times it seemed that we covering as much distance up and down as we were forward.  The seas improved greatly as we turned north into the bay and we had a somewhat comfortable sail to Deltaville, VA.

We arrived at Deltaville at around 2:00 p.m. and anchored in Jackson Creek across from the Deltaville Marina.  In the morning we took our dinghies over to the marina paid our $3.50 per person for use of the facilities (showers, laundry, lounge, bicycles, etc.) and rode over to the library.  After the library, Tom and Pat rode over to West Marine and I rode back to the marina after I realized that I had left my new sunglasses in the lounge.  After I retrieved my sunglasses, I rowed back to the boat to wired my laptop computer to my GPS and autopilot using the wiring diagram that I had just downloaded from the manufactures web site.  Now I'm able to download waypoints from my computer to the GPS and have the GPS steer the boat from waypoint to waypoint.

We left Deltaville, and headed up the bay towards the Potomac River towards the St Marys River.  It was a nice sail but as I neared the anchorage at Horseshoe Bend, a high-pitched squeal emitted from the engine compartment.  Immediately I suspect a loose alternator belt, but I shut off the engine as a precaution and raised the sails again.  The wind was very light and I slowly ghosted up the river to the anchorage.  Tom and Pat, who had stopped at a marina down by the entrance to the river for some supplies, offered a tow but I declined and continued to sail.  The St Marys College Sailing Team was out in the river practicing and I had to sail around them into the anchorage and drop my anchor under sail.  I had practiced this on my last boat back in Huntington, NY so it was no problem.

The next morning I took everything out of the starboard cockpit locker and crawled in to inspect the belt.  It had developed a small crack and was ready to be replaced.  I replaced it with the spare that was onboard, first cleaning the pulleys with some acetone.  I tightened it to spec and started the engine and all was fine.  To be honest, I haven't been checking the belt tension as often as I should.  It's difficult to get to since I have to remove everything from the cockpit locker to get the side panel off so that I can get to the belt.  But regardless of the difficulty I'll have to start checking it on a regular basis.

As I was cleaning up, Tom and Pat came by and their dinghy and said that they were going in to tour the old St Marys City settlement.  I said I would meet them in town and would stop at the college library first.  We met up on the college campus after discovering that the settlement was in operation since the season hadn't yet started, and the library was closed on weekends now during the summer semester.  I latter discovered that there were data jacks in the cafeteria and student lounge that you could plug a laptop into to get onto the internet, so I rowed back to my boat a got my computer.

May 27, 2004 - Solomons, MD

On Monday morning we left St Marys and headed down to the Potomac, and then around Point Lookout and up the bay towards the Pautuxent River and Solomons, MD.  It was a nice day with favorable winds, so I decided to turn off the engine and sail for most of the way.  Swan seemed to be in a hurry though and they continued to motor the entire way.  As we neared a US Navy designated target area, which was marked on the charts and marked with buoys, we were hailed by a Navy warship and told to steer at two miles east of the target area.  Luckily I had plotted my course about 1.5 miles east of the target area and only had to deviate a few degrees.  Swan had plotted their course jus west of the target area and had to deviate significantly from their course.

As I was passing west of the target area, at the appropriate distance, I spotted two planes flying over the targets.  I picked up my binoculars in time to see what looked like a small silver cylinder emerge from one of the two planes.  I didn't see anything the water though, and just after planes passed over the target, the Navy warship called and said that the target is clear and the sailboats in the area may resume their normal course.

After we arrived in Solomons I stopped at Spring Cove Marina for fuel and water then went over to where Swan had already anchored to look for a spot.  There were a couple other boat already anchored nearby so I went back passed them but couldn't find a suitable spot nearby.  The popular spot near Zahnizers Marina was also full, so I went over to Mill Creek where I had anchored in the past, and dropped the hook for the night.

The next morning I rowed over to a dock up Old House Cove and tied up my dinghy.  In rode over to the library in Lusby, then back towards town for lunch.  I stopped at the West Marine then rode around downtown Solomons Island and stopped at the Chesapeake Bay Laboratory for a small tour.  The full tour is scheduled on Wednesdays and Fridays at 2:00 p.m., so I may come back then.

The next morning I called Swan and they said that a spot in front of then had opened up, so I pulled up my anchor and motored over to Back Creek.  When I arrived I found that the spot was much smaller than it appeared at a distance due to a metal buoy sitting right in the middle of it.  Since I didn't want my boat banging against a rusted metal buoy, I had to move forward and to one side.  It still didn't seem like enough room but I dropped my anchor anyway to be sure.  After I set my anchor and put out sufficient scope, I was lying too close to the docks on the eastern shore so I pulled up my anchor and went over to the anchorage next to Zahnizers Marina.  Several boats had left that morning so I was able to find a spot with plenty of room.

June 3, 2004 - Annapolis, MD

On Saturday morning, after the front passed, we left Solomons at about 7:00 a.m. and headed out of the Pautuxent River towards the bay.  NOAA was forecasting 10-15 knot winds from the NW so we figured that it might be a little rough heading north.  As we were heading out he channel, a 40 foot sloop hailed Swan on the VHF and said that they had just turned around because they had 20 knot winds and 4'+ seas right on the nose.  I laid back as Swan continued out towards the point to check out the conditions first-hand.  A few minutes later they radioed back saying that they were going to turn around and head back to the anchorage.  I got to the anchorage near Zahnizers and anchored in the same spot as before.  Swan came in a few minutes later and anchored nearby.  We decided that we would spend the day and leave early the next morning.

At 5:45 a.m., just as the sun was rising, I pulled up my anchor and headed back out into the Pautuxent.  Swan said they would be leaving between 6:30 and 7:00, but I'm usually up early and said that I would be getting underway as soon as I was ready.  An Island Packet 380 was also getting ready to leave.  Swan said they would be leaving between 6:30 and 7:00.

The wind was light this morning and the seas were fairly calm as I rounded the point into the bay.  Although light, the apparent wind was about 10 knots on the beam so I unfurled my genoa and motor-sailed most of the way to Annapolis.  Being Memorial Day weekend, the bay was fairly crowded, but the forecast for thunderstorms in the afternoon probably kept a lot of boaters at the dock.

I arrived at Weems Creek at about 1:30 p.m. and was able to pick up a mooring for the night.  The creek was packed with boats some rafted up 3 or 4 to a mooring.  It didn't rain that afternoon, but late in the evening it did, and continued most of the next day.  The brought limited visibility and it seemed that most boats were waiting for it to clear.  It remained bleak all day and slowly boats began leaving the creek.  One other boat from Newport, RI came in that afternoon and left on Tuesday morning.

I rode downtown and had breakfast at Chick and Ruth's Deli.  It was a beautiful day, so I rode around Annapolis, had lunch at the Westfield Mall, and took the bus back after a brief afternoon storm rolled through.  The next day I rode over to Port Annapolis Marina to visit Tom and Patty.  They reserve a slip hear every year and stay for the summer.  Tom had reserved a car for Sunday, which we'll drive back to Florida to pick up out cars.