Sunset in Rock Hall Landing.
Sunset at Dobbins Island.
Moonrise at Dobbins Island.
Sunset in Hawk Cove.
Moonrise in Hawk Cove.
Parkside to Still Pond: I picked up Katie at BWI around noon. We arrived at Parkside just as Sue was arriving, so we loaded up multiple carts of stuff from Katie's car and Sue's car and headed to the boat to unpack and get underway. We quickly motored over to Crazy Tuna for a festive lunch. We docked well and had a nice enjoyable lunch before leaving about 1630 and heading out Middle River. I only deployed the jib as very strong winds were predicted. We went out on a broad reach under power behind Pools Island on a beam. This caused a lot of challenges as the waves were on the beam as well. We finally made it from behind the island and I headed more on a broad reach under sail all the way to Still Pond. Winds were pushing us along at 8 plus knots. I had the jib out only under 32 knots and handling well. We went to the southern side of Still Pond as winds were predicted to gust in the 30s overnight. It took two tries to anchor as the anchor float was constantly underwater giving me an indication that the anchor didn't catch. We paid out over 90 feet of chain to prepare for strong winds. We finally settled down to a nice moonrise in the backdrop. Down below Sue made snacks and then Sue and Katie played Scrabble until everyone was too tired and we called it boater’s midnight. It was a quiet night with gentle rocking.
Still Pond to Rock Hall Landing: I was up a little after seven and got things rolling by heating water and making the coffee. Sue and Katie followed shortly thereafter, and we had a nice breakfast of sausage and gravy with biscuits. We cleaned up and prepared to get underway. The anchor float was under water all night but since we never moved, I guess the line must have become tangled on the anchor. It popped free once the anchor was up. We headed out into the Bay where the winds were quite strong from the West northwest. We motored as far across the Bay before the yellow restriction line so he could sail more on a broad reach down the Bay. The sailing was great down the Bay with as winds topped out over 30 + but we were not healing as we had the main sail and jib reefed 50%. And yet somewhere we topped over 10 knots! Katie sailed a good portion of the way doing a great job with the gusting winds and rolling waves. We finally made it to the Swan Point cut so I took the wheel and we sailed through on a run. No issues with water depths even though the winds were from the north northwest for so long period. We docked gently at the ‘T’ on dock ‘D’ where Joe was there to greet us. We cleaned up and headed to the office to pay the bill I then go to Waterman’s for lunch. But Joe said our visit was on the House and Waterman’s was closed. We came back and had sandwiches for lunch and afterwards people slept. Then Sue and Katie played Scrabble as I sorted clothing, preparing for the ICW. For dinner we had pork and sauerkraut with mashed potatoes and green beans and of course, ice cream sandwiches for dessert. Finally, we watched the movie airplane and then hit the hay at around 10:00 PM. Temperatures got to a low of 47 degrees outside, but it stayed in the 50s inside.
Rock Hall Landing to Dobbins Island: It was a quiet night in port. We had eggs and bacon for breakfast as Katie was waiting on a call. No call, so we cleaned up and got underway. We motored out of Rock Hall Landing and out through the Swan Point Cut. The winds were from the northwest 7 to 12 with temperatures starting at 52 and warming up to a 68 in the afternoon under sunny skies. We motor sailed westerly so we could sail down to the Magothy River with the current winds. Sailing was excellent on abeam / broad reach. We tacked a few times to get into the river as we were getting quite good at it. Once inside the river, we headed north to Dobbins Island where we slowly sailing on a beam as wind shifted to the West. Finally, we dropped the anchor and relaxed for the afternoon. It was a sunny cool after noon and Sue and Katie were playing Scrabble. I was still trying to figure why the anchor float continues to sink. Katie and I are thinking that the weight might be too heavy pulling the float down until it gets stuck in the mud. We continue to search for a solution as I want to use it during out ICW trip. Dinner was grilled steak, rice pilaf, and salad. More games after dinner and finally bed at 10:30. Once again it was a quiet night with winds not picking up until 3:00 AM when they started gusting to about 25.
Dobbins Island to Hawk Cove: Katie was up first at 8:45 and got us started. We had leftover sausage and gravy for breakfast and an enjoyed an easy relaxing morning. We sailed out of the river with Katie doing most of the driving. Then we headed up the coast and anchored on the southern side of the Patapsco River for a late lunch. Katie and I think we identified the issue with the anchor float. Due to the cold weather, the float deflated and can no longer stay afloat. So, we found the hand pump and then did our best to inflate. Meanwhile, after lunch we sailed towards Pleasure Island cut when Katie finally got her phone call. We ended up sailing through the cut while she was on the phone as I could not use the engine. All went well and we slowly sailed towards the anchorage. Another boat was where we picked so we adapted. The anchor float stayed afloat this time, so our solution worked! The other boat appeared to get angry with us as we were in his view of the potential sunset, so he raised his anchor and moved in front of us - silly. Dinner was grilled chicken, Mac and cheese, and asparagus grilled in foil. Afterwards was game night until almost midnight. It was calm all night with gentle rolling now and then. The temps only went down to the low 60s. The batteries were about 64% in the morning.
Hawk Cove to Parkside: It was a very quiet night. I was up around 7:30 and I got the water and coffee started. We had scrambled eggs and sausage for breakfast to enable a somewhat early start. We raised the anchor and Katie drove all the way to Long Beach where I docked for fuel. We topped off fuel and then went to Maryland Marina to pump out. I did a poor job of docking but finally tide up. With empty holding tanks we headed home to Parkside where Sue and Katie left for home. I stayed to defrost the freezer and prepare the boat for the ICW trip.
Days: 5 Days to date: 82
Miles: 80.4 Miles to date: 1078