Thai Hot Rendezvous

Thai Hot

October 21st 2011 - In order to give the seas on the Chesapeake a little more time to settle, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the morning.  Slowly we raised our anchor and gave it a good wash down after being dug in the mud for a few days. We noticed the faucet on the foredeck just doesn't open as much as it's supposed to, time for a new one. If we want to anchor that faucet definitely needs to be replaced.
 Just as we were coming out of Mill Creek the captain hailed our friends Bob and Laura aboard Thai Hot on the radio to see if they had left. Sure enough they were directly across heading down Ingram Bay. We knew they were in the area and our destinations were the same for the day.  Bob and Laura are on a 2 year trip to the BVI aboard their Island Packet. They too belong to the Harlem Yacht Club on City Island. Once we spotted them it became a great photo opportunity.
It was a relatively short trip to the Regatta Point Marina in Deltaville. Each time we looked back we could see that Thai Hot was having a great sail. We were getting small waves on the beam and the Summer Wind gets pushed slightly to the side.
We made a turn west into the Rapahonick and came upon a group of watermen. Lines were everywhere in the water and we were wondering how they didn't tangle up with one another. It seemed to be a very pretty amazing dance.
Shortly after we were tied at the docks then Thai Hot was making way to her slip. I needed to get some laundry underway and Dick and the crew of Thai Hot made a run to West Marine. At sunset we enjoyed lovely champagne and appetizers aboard the bridge of the Summer Wind. That evening Kokomos restaurant picked us up and it was a great evening with wonderful company. Thanks so much Laura and Bob. We hope you have a great adventure!!

Bob and Laura

Watermen

Toasting on the Summer Wind

A day or two for the 'honey do' list

October 19th, 2011 -Here we are tucked into a nice protected anchorage in Mill Creek on the Great Wicomico river while mother nature does what she does best out on the Chesapeake Bay. There are 15 -20 knot winds with 30 knot gusts out of the east. Yesterday we did a vey long day close to 70 miles and a 9 hour travel day in order to be well protected.
During the night the skies opened up and there was a deluge of rain. There was an incredible pounding on the sun deck. We checked the windows to make sure that everything was secured well and there were no unexpected leaks.  The wind could be howling, but we were barely moving aboard the boat and all was fairly quiet that way.
Today we only spotted one "daring soul" leave the anchorage. Today has been a day of fixing little things that needed repair. The captain even fixed the first mates glasses after the lens fell out. The stove top lid hinges had broke and those have now been replaced.
 The best thing about days like today are, in between the rain the windows are opened and the captain serenades with his flute. He is most relaxed playing and I enjoy listening. Sometimes we hear a distant clap coming from one of the boats.

Special Marine Warning?

October 20th, 2011 - Last night was interesting to say the least. We had checked the weather forecast before going to bed and were shocked to see not only Gale Warnings but "Special Marine Warnings." How could that be? Where our boat was located, there was barely a whisper of wind. NOAA predicted winds coming from the southwest with gusts up to 60 knots! After checking the boat to make sure everything was as it should be, we tucked in for the night. In the middle of the night, we woke to what sounded like a freight train passing really close and the boat was rumbling. We each took turns watching throughout the night. It was a really loud evening, but nothing for us to be concerned about, no waves or horrible bouncing could be felt. All the boats in the anchorage were exactly where they should be and nothing was amiss.
Today we're experiencing a relatively windy day, but the Summer Wind is secure and swinging gently. We're sure the Chesapeake would be horribly nasty out there today!

Halfway down the Potomac

Chapel Point Church

October 18th, 2011 - There's nothing like spending a delightfully quiet night on the hook to energize and refresh ones batteries.  Port Tobacco river is a great anchorage despite being fairly wide open. The night was quiet, dark and stars were plentiful. We woke up early and watched the sunrise above the tree line. It was a quiet and unusually hot day (80 *). We had passed Clements Island, the first English settlement in MD and captured a great shot. This will be a day excursion via dinghy possibly on next years trip.
 One of our concerns was the weather forecast for the next few days. Our plan was to anchor in St. Mary's river by the college but that meant still having to cross the mouth of the Potomac at the Chesapeake after the two fronts had passed. So, we decided to make it a longer travel day 70 miles in 9 hours and get beyond the Potomac. The hardest part of the trip was entering Mill Creek heading directly into the setting sun. It was difficult to spot the fish stakes which made things a little challenging. For those of you that don't know fish stakes are rods placed a couple of feet apart across approximately 30 feet wide that have a net across to gather the fish. The problem is, the stakes only stand about 2-3 feet above the waterline and they aren't easy to spot with rolling seas. Oh yes, forgot to mention the winds had picked up out of the east and we were starting to get beam seas as we were heading towards the channel of the creek entrance which made things even more interesting. Everything calmed down once we entered Mill Creek and discovered at least 10 sailboats have already dropped the hook. This must definitely be the right place.

Saint Clements Island

First English Settlement in MD

Time to start south again

Heading Down the Potomac

October 17th-  We spent a rocky night aboard the Summer Wind. There were waves slapping at the bow of the boat which echoed throughout the hull. The winds had settled in the wee hours of the morning so we were able to get some quiet. Shortly after 7am we made short work of dropping the lines and heading down the Potomac. Because the Potomac is over 100 miles long our plan was to split the trip into two spots. Along the way we spotted several eagles hunting and flying high above the trees. The eagles scoop down on their prey and use their talons to grab their dinner. They are quite fast and it's an amazing flight to watch.
The river was relatively calm even with the winds, however in spots we did get a little following sea. One of the requests I as first mate have, was to get more experience at the helm during questionable seas. The captain handed over the helm when taking a phone call and I managed to get some good practice in learning how to handle the boat in following seas that were building. Our boat yaws (meaning wobbles) in these types of conditions and it takes a little work to keep her on her course.
As the day wore on the seas settled so we were comfortable dropping a hook in Port Tobacco River. The entrance to the river is a giant maze of crab pots but once we were past them we felt confident dropping the hook. That evening we had a lovely night relaxing and it was extremely quiet!

Eagle enjoying his catch!

Terns fishing around the boat!

Whats on that buoy?

OH it's an eagle!!

A Short trip to Old Town Alexandria

Old Town Alexandria

October 16th-  Ah, the day began bright and early. Today our plan was to take a short trip over to Alexandria. But before heading out we had a few minor to-do lists. We had spent the morning cleaning and defrosting the fridge. It's amazing the 7cubic fridge can get inches of frost quite quickly but it's not cold enough to keep ice cream solid? Why is that? Once the fridge was cleaned, now it needed to be stocked with fresh produce and meats. Alas a trip to Safeway was definitely needed. Loaded with empty bags and our convenient cart we set out to shop.
Very interesting we discovered that the parking lane was blocked off along the waterfront streets and some streets were closed off to vehicle traffic. President Obama was giving a speech at the dedication to the Martin Luther King Memorial.
 While the groceries were being neatly stowed away, the captain readied the Summer Wind for her short trip down the Potomac.
Less then an hour later we arrived at Alexandria, Va and it was an interesting process tying her up at her slip. There were no dock hands, so as the line handler (first mate) I was challenged to lassoing the poles and inching the Summer Wind closer to the dock.
That afternoon we went for a stroll through Old Town Alexandria along King St and then took a tour of Christ Church. The tour guide was informative and made history come alive with her stories of the famous people that attended. George Washington had a townhouse in Alexandria and attended service. Robert E. Lee was also an attendee. There are weekly services currently held and the tour guide told us the whole church comes alive with music at Christmas time. We then walked along the waterfront and walked through the Old Torpedo factory which now houses artist studios where you can watch the artist practicing their craft.

Christ Church

Interior of Christ Church

The Wall Scriptures are original. The background is naturally aged white paint.

George Washington's Pew

The Board Walk

Developing a likeliness

Later that evening we enjoyed a wonderful visit from Debby, Lauren and Moira. We enjoyed a delightful dinner at 219 restaurant. We said good bye to the gals, sad to see them go. We had a great time together and will surely miss their company.

The Captain and the Flynn girls

A visit to Washington DC

October 11th -15th  Our trip up the  rest of the Potomac was a relatively short but very pretty trip. The color of the leaves on the trees are only beginning to change. We did however catch what we thought was a testing of a dinghy deployment. Just before the Woodrow Wilson bridge we noticed a large vessel coming at us at full speed, our thought was that it was a Coast Guard vessel. All of a sudden it made a turn and then completely stopped. Next thing we noticed was the back of the boat opening and a dinghy was deploying out of the stern and then started zipping around at full speed and then returned to the stern.  Hmmm, we wondered how we could get our dinghy deployed that quickly?

Stern of the boat lifting

Dinghy  pulls right into the stern

Early afternoon we were settled into the Capital Yacht Club. After checking the weather for the next few days we decided to go for a ' 2 mile walk' around the Tidal basin. On this walk we toured the Jefferson, FDR and now the Martin Luther King memorial. Each memorial was uniquely different.

Jefferson Memorial

FDR Memorial

 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Wednesday, we toured the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. It was fascinating to watch how money was printed and we learned 'that money does not grow on trees!' During our trip we noticed a skid with a sign posted 'this skid $64,000,000.00 and there it was all neatly bundled together. Wow that's a lot of money!
That afternoon we also visited the Natural History museum and toured the "Ocean" and then the "Origins of Man" . At this exhibit we came across a group of 'teen Christians' and they wanted to discuss the theory of evolution and creation. It became quite an intense discussion.
Our whole time was not spent touring DC, we spent 3 lovely days with our daughter Debby and grand kids. We had a marvellous time catching up. We were treated to exciting volleyball and soccer games! The three girls are amazing athletes each with special skills. We were quite impressed. Grampy and I  enjoyed being read to and we loved hearing all about their adventures. Sadly we had to say good-bye but only for a day.

Lauren taking a great shot!

Moira

Meghan working her way through the white team!

Clements Bay and Mattawoman Creek

Ted & Nancy with Dick after OH Sh***

Sunday October 9th - Our plans for the day began with untying the lines from the dock and heading over to the pump out, where we were greeted by Ted and Nancy.

I'm sure you can guess what happened without me telling the tale. All of a sudden we heard " OH sh***!" Nancy and I looked over and before we could deduce what happened the mishap became apparent as the captain walked past and a not too pleasant odor followed as he was stripping off his shirt, shoes and then shorts "PHEWWWY!!!! Out came the bucket and laundry soap while the captain went below and showered in much cleaner water! Talk about creating a memory!

OK, so after that  we said our good byes and stopped at Calvert marina to fill our diesel tanks at $3.52/gallon.

We've had great luck with the seas on the Chesapeake and this day was no different. The seas were absolutely calm. The seas were no different at the entrance to the Potomac river. Sometimes this area can be treacherous.Our destination today was a new anchorage Canoe Creek off of Clements bay. Dropped a hook in this quiet little cove which we shared with a sailboat. The night was clear and the stars were amazing. The only odd noise we heard throughout the evening was the squawk of the heron. How can something so pretty sound so terrible?

Watching a Great White and Blue Heron fish

All is quiet

Sun setting in canoe creek

October 10th, 2011 -  The sun was clearing away the morning mist by the time we had the anchor raised. We had a quiet trip up the Potomac River. Our destination today was Mattawoman creek, an anchorage we do enjoy. This year we decided because the weather was inconsequential we'd anchor on the outside of the entrance. It's not as protected but it's a lovely spot. Found our spot and there were a few day sailors out partying on a raft. Next thing we knew we had a swimmer come along calling at the captain. He was a marine from Quantico across the river. He talked about 'some day owning his own vessel' and said our boat was sure pretty. After a brief conversation he swam back over to his raft. That evening we were again treated to a star studded night and barely a ripple on the water.

Morning Mist in Canoe Creek

Godspeed from Jamestown

Heading to Solomons

Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse

October 5th- Dropped the bridal on the mooring ball first thing in the morning. Our plans were to drop the hook midway to Solomons Islands. The weather forecast for the day said  westerly winds would be increasing by the afternoon and the anchorage we picked is on the east side of the bay. This meant that if we dilly dally we'd be the recipient of beam seas. Well the forecast was somewhat accurate, they were definitely westerly winds however they began much earlier and we began to get beam seas. By the time  we turned into the Knapp's Narrow canal we were happy to be off the bay as the seas were getting uncomfortable. The captain found us a delightful little anchorage where we were only 1 of 3 boats and we were safe and snug. During the afternoon we relaxed and read on the sundeck and listened to the bird life all around. We spotted a few eagles hunting but unfortunately they were much too fast to capture on the camera. That evening there were no clouds in the sky and stars were plenty. It was a little cool almost frosty evening and we noticed a small fishing boat coming into the anchorage. Surely he wasn't going to be spending the night out in this cool weather. Sure enough, he had his anchor light on and stayed the whole night.
October 6th/8th - Early in the morning we raised our anchor and began our trip to Solomons Island. The winds had now shifted North Easterly so we were getting a little push on our port quarter when we entered the bay. The trip wasn't bad and the seas really settled as we travelled along.
 Our plan was to spend a few days in the Solomon area working on a few things and visiting our friends Ted and Nancy. Nancy and Ted McCarley had just returned home from their great excursion on the Down East Circle Loop.  Dick had told Ted that we wanted to go to the Annapolis Sailboat Show to check out navigation equipment and they invited us to join them.
Our chart plotters are small and very difficult to see in bright light. We have a navigation system on the main helm and on the bridge. All the equipment 'talk to one another'. The captain doesn't want to replace everything, he'd like to get a chart plotter that is compatible with all the current equipment. By the time we were finished looking at the boat show our eyes were crossed and brains foggy from trying to figure out what we'd really like to use on the Summer Wind. There are a ton of options on the market. We had also checked out boat mattresses and found it curious how  most mattresses begin at $1800 they must be really special! Yeah right!!
On our second day in Solomon's Ted gave Dick a hand changing his zincs on the stern of the boat. Would you believe Ted has a diving suit that was specifically fitted for him from his days in the navy and it still fits!  Very impressive  and thanks Ted! Dick was doing the first mate's job in handing all the equipment. While they were tending to their chores Nancy had offered use of her washer/dryer and I took advantage of the offering. Thanks Nancy!
We had a wonderful few days with our friends , we enjoyed cocktails on the back of their sundeck. One evening we enjoyed a great dinner at the Irish Pub, where we learned what Boxty's were and they were indeed delicious. They are like a thin potato pancake with stuffing, such as steak or veggies. Another evening we went out for Mexican fare and enjoyed another wonderful meal and it was just delightful being with our friends.

Sharps Point Lighthouse

Cove Point Lighthouse

Dick being first mate

Ted jumping in!

Mystic Whaler sailing around the Scott Key buoy

October 3rd/4th - Dick needed to have a protime (blood test) done and we assumed there had to be a Quest Diagnostics close to the marina. The location we found online said it was 3 miles away, and seeing that we wanted to leave early afternoon for Annapolis, we decided to catch a taxi. Well let us tell you $26. each way became an expensive ordeal. It was 3 miles direct on their website, next time we will use google earth and get the actual driving route!! Needless to say we made it back shortly after 11am and had the lines released.

Just before the Scott Key bridge we noticed a large schooner sailing around the buoy that marks the spot where Scott Key wrote the words to the Star Spangled banner aboard a prisoner ship. As we approached slowly we discovered it was the Mystic Whaler. It's the same sailing vessel that we had passed on Long Island Sound when we were taking the Summer Wind for a test run.

The seas were relatively calm but it was a very cloudy and cool day. We were hoping that we would be early enough to grab one of the moorings in the Annapolis City Mooring Field. Chances were that because the sailboat show was happening at the end of the week, we assumed that we'd have to find a good anchoring spot. Sure enough when we arrived at the field there was one last mooring ball and we scooped it up quickly. Good timing because right after we had the line hooked there were two large sailboats scouting out the field. Whew!!!!! We high fived and settled below for a wonderful lunch. Around 4pm we noticed these small white sails zipping around the boat. It was sailing lesson time and a group of pre-teens were looking like old hands at sailing. They were tacking and weaving throughout the field at pretty good speeds. Then there was a knock  on the hull. There were two gals in a dinghy wondering what time we were leaving in the morning. We told them we weren't, we were staying two nights. Their faces were disappointed but they left their phone number for us to call them when we dropped the bridal.

 Our plans were to spend 2 nights in the mooring field. The second day we went ashore to explore what was happening. The dinghy docks weren't available close by so we opted to take the water taxi to shore. As a treat the taxi driver took us through Spa Creek for another customer. We had our very own water taxi tour! Most of the streets around the city basin were closed off in preparation for the big sailboat show. We walked around for hours enjoying the warm day for a change. It had been almost a week since the sun actually felt warm.The weather started to warm and we decided it would be a great night to barbecue a steak on the back deck.

Baltimore Lighthouse getting painted

Sandy Point Lighthouse

Setting up for the Sailboat Show

Fells Point Festival in Baltimore

October 1st/2nd - Pulled up the anchor to schedule our arrival around 11 am. Baltimore was less than an hour away which would give us plenty of time to check out Fells Point Festival. As we were motoring under the Scott Key bridge we heard a message announcing a 50 gallon drum was floating in the Fort McHenry basin and to use caution when traversing the area. Sure enough 20 minutes later the captain spotted the barrel and was able to steer out of its path at the last moment. The barrel was just below the waterline , not very visible from above. There was a fire boat behind us and we let them know what was in their path and next thing you know they were veering off as well.
Shortly we were docking at the Anchorage Marina where we will be spending two nights to enjoy the Fells Point Festival. The weather didn't sound too promising, but we were going to make the most out of this event. This festival is a great deal of fun with artists selling their wares from small tents. Music would be played at most corners by local artists and there were stages for small productions. We have been here before for this festival and we always had a great time. Well for some reason the wind turned bitterly cold and it made it not so great for walking around the waterfront. This year the streets were not jam packed infact it looked like this festival would be a bust.
In the evening we returned to the Summer Wind and turned on the heat. Outside it was very chilly,windy and wet, not the best of boating weather.
The next morning the weather turned out to be a huge disappointment. The air was bitterly cold and damp. We began to take a quick walk around and decided it just wasn't worth catching a cold. Oh well, on the bright side we were glad to be plugged into a dock and able to turn on the heat. On days like this without the heat, the boat would be cold and damp.

Budweiser Clydesdales

These two were kissing one another to keep warm!

Not great weather for an outdoor festival

Chesapeake City

Fort Delaware

September 28/29 th- We untied the lines at the dock and began our journey south on the Delaware River. The skies were overcast and afternoon thunderstorms were once again predicted. Our plans for the day were to make it to Chesapeake City and we would anchor down for the night. As we were travelling south we could see the heavy rain bands making their way north but we were lucky because most of them missed us. We don't like to have to steer from below, our preference is being up on the flybridge. So, a little rain wasn't a huge deterence. Late afternoon we were one of the first few boats entering the anchorage. Sometimes the 'free' dock is available, however this time it was jam packed. We picked our spot and the rain just fell enough to be a nuisance. Late in the afternoon several sailboats showed up in the small anchorage along with a couple of trawlers. Our little anchorage was now full and each of us were swinging in very different directions.  We thought maybe tomorrow we might grab the free dock.

another great rainbow!

Early in the morning we checked the free dock and it was still packed. Nobody was going to move on a day like today. Heavy thunderstorms were predicted, so we decided to just sit tight and relax. In between the rain we noticed a sailboat had began to drag towards shore. We were out on the back deck talking to another cruiser and he was trying to find the crew. That event became a dance, we noticed a small dinghy roaring in and sure enough it was the crew. One member stood on the small dock used for dinghies and tried to push the sailboat out into deeper water while the crew member in the dinghy took one of the sailboats halyards and motored out to tip the boat so the keel would lift. They managed to bring the sailboat back into deeper water and the next thing we knew they decided to leave. That evening all was quiet.

September 30th. Fells Point festival was happening in Baltimore, so to make the most of the event we planned our next stop very close to the marina. We pulled the anchor up and made our way out of the anchorage deciding not to wait for the free dock. That evening we relaxed in a quiet cove and would you believe that's where we found the sailboats that we came across in Chesapeake City. They too were going to the Festival at Fells Point. We enjoyed a relatively calm and quiet night, no rescues needed.