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