7 days on the lower bay (by Bob Bedell)
The Philadelphia Sailing Club had a great time sailing on the lower bay from Deltaville, VA for the second year in a row, with two well outfitted boats from Norton Yacht Charters in Deltaville.
We had plenty of wind, 10 to 20 knots, the entire trip, and only motored enough to avoid sailing in the rain one day.
In my experience, there is no better time to sail the Chesapeake than in the early fall. It was great to see some new anchorages and new sights. We are again amazed at how few boats we see in this part of the bay. There is much greater wave action in the expanse of the lower bay, which is good to experience on the helm.
One day, for about 15 minutes, our boat was surrounded by dolphins, including some in our bow wake. It was great to be sailing with a crew who were as excited by this as I was.
Our first marina stay was in Crisfield. However, half the town near the marina seems to shut down after Labor Day. But, the Somer's Point marina was welcoming and it always feels good to walk a bit after a few days on the boat..
Again, like last year, we spent a night at the town marina of Urbana, VA. The marina staff was very helpful and they had nicely appointed facilities. Urbana has nice shops and places to re-provision as well as many beautiful and historic buildings in its compact downtown. And our boat had an excellent, foodie worthy dinner in town. We managed to avoid taking home an adorable kitten who wanted to adopt us there.
The Philadelphia Sailing Club welcomes sailors of all levels. We typically sail out of Rockhall or Annapolis. Hope to see you on the bay!
Jane Herrington
