Location: Deltaville, VA
Date: October 28, 2006
Current position: 37 32 55 N, 076 19 44.84 W
We so wanted to spend at least a month or so out on Rachel cruising around the Bay this fall, but it just wasn't to be. Still on Mill Creek, Solomons, MD, it was breezy enough that we didn't even dinghy the 2.1 miles into town for a walk as the chop would have soaked and frozen us. We spent the next three days on the boat, bouncing around at anchor and looking for any excuse to roast something in the oven, bake bread, make a pot of tea - anything that involved cooking so we could warm up.
Although we did get to watch a bald eagle for hours as it sat in a tree on the bank looking down on us, and were visited by a loon swimming around us, we spent most of the time below out of the cold wind. As the week wore on the weather pixies began sounding like there might be a one-day weather window between fronts that could enable us to get back to Deltaville before winter set in.
It was with heavy hearts that we made the decision to take a vacation day and head back down to Deltaville on Thursday. With the prediction of 10 mph winds from the NW, sun (hallelujah) and 61 F for a high, we weighed anchor at 6am. It took us about an hour to get both anchors up (one hooked the chain of the other on the way in), cleaned and stowed. We made our way out into the Bay along with an armada of other boats heading south. Unfortunately for us, we knew that most of them were probably heading way further south than us to warmer climates and cruising fun. We, on the other hand, were only heading back to Deltaville (DVL) to haul Rachel out for the winter and head back to Blacksburg until spring. Sigh!!
Mark figured that we needed to average 6 knots all day to make the 60 miles back to DVL and arrive during daylight. With the frequency and strength of the fronts coming through (and that were predicted to follow shortly), we decided to treat this leg of the trip like a delivery and motorsailed most of the way back. We had a lovely day and no close encounters like our night sail up. We took turns at the helm, the coldest spot, watched the other boats, and enjoyed soaking up the sun.
Two events broke up the day. The first was a little visitor who dropped in on us. For about 2 hours we had an oriole on the boat. We assume he was heading South, got tired, and decided to hitch a ride while he rested,
seeing as we were heading in the right direction. He kept hopping around the cockpit, would fly forward for a while and then come back and visit with us again. We were amazed at how tame he appeared, he would jump into the dinghy, spend some quality time there, then come back onto the boat. Eventually he flew away, maybe to go and visit another boat for a while. Thankfully he didn't leave lots of little 'calling cards' before he took off.
The second was a bit more nerve wracking. We were just finishing bouncing across the mouth of the Potomac River. The wind was from the NW and the tide was coming in, in opposition to the wind. This combination makes for waves that are closer together and steeper than normal. Where the Potomac empties into the Chesapeake is well known for this "washing machine" action, and we were glad we were getting it behind us. We had been talking about how we should probably wear our harnesses and tether ourselves to the boat if we had to go forward to do anything. Suddenly the radio blared out a panicked woman's voice shouting "Man overboard!" - the words you hope to never hear or have to say.
She gave her location as about 6 miles down the Bay from us. They were a couple on a sailboat and the husband had fallen overboard, leaving the wife alone to control the boat, call for help, and retrieve him. After about 10 or 15 minutes of intently listening to the Coast Guard, nearby boats, and sporadic updates from the woman, we were relieved that she finally managed to retrieve him and all was well. But we both began to think about how we keep meaning to practice our man overboard procedures, but never seem to get around to it. (Note to selves - before going anywhere else on the boat, practice our man overboard drills).
This made us decide that, even in this relatively calm weather, we should probably tether ourselves to the boat when going forward. It's always best to 'stay on the boat'.
Several hours later, as we left the Bay and turned West into the Piankatank River, we had a lovely sail back to Jackson Creek. Julie spent some time sitting in her favourite spot, just forward of the mast, and had a little cry. The end of sailing season is always sad, especially this one in which we didn't get out nearly as much as we'd hoped.
We made good time and arrived at a slip at Deltaville marina just after 5pm, several of our friends were on the dock to welcome us home. The next day, another front came through with gusts into the 40s, and once again, we were happy to have hot showers and a safe harbor. One cruiser we met who was heading south for the winter said "I'm a bit embarrassed - here I am, on a sailboat, and I'm hiding from the wind." That pretty much says it all for our too short trip on Rachel this fall.
This is probably our last Khronicle until spring, stay safe and happy.
Fair winds,
Mark & Julie
s/v Rachel
PS - Julie's 50th Birthday Celebration following our arrival in Deltaville and lasting for over a week (whew!), finished up last night with a party at our house in Blacksburg. Now we can get off the rich food and high alcohol diet we've been on for the week and get our lives back to "normal". We're currently thinking about building Rachel a new wooden rowing / sailing / motoring dinghy over the winter. We'll let you know if we do, and will keep you posted on our progress.
Date: October 28, 2006
Current position: 37 32 55 N, 076 19 44.84 W
We so wanted to spend at least a month or so out on Rachel cruising around the Bay this fall, but it just wasn't to be. Still on Mill Creek, Solomons, MD, it was breezy enough that we didn't even dinghy the 2.1 miles into town for a walk as the chop would have soaked and frozen us. We spent the next three days on the boat, bouncing around at anchor and looking for any excuse to roast something in the oven, bake bread, make a pot of tea - anything that involved cooking so we could warm up.
Although we did get to watch a bald eagle for hours as it sat in a tree on the bank looking down on us, and were visited by a loon swimming around us, we spent most of the time below out of the cold wind. As the week wore on the weather pixies began sounding like there might be a one-day weather window between fronts that could enable us to get back to Deltaville before winter set in.
It was with heavy hearts that we made the decision to take a vacation day and head back down to Deltaville on Thursday. With the prediction of 10 mph winds from the NW, sun (hallelujah) and 61 F for a high, we weighed anchor at 6am. It took us about an hour to get both anchors up (one hooked the chain of the other on the way in), cleaned and stowed. We made our way out into the Bay along with an armada of other boats heading south. Unfortunately for us, we knew that most of them were probably heading way further south than us to warmer climates and cruising fun. We, on the other hand, were only heading back to Deltaville (DVL) to haul Rachel out for the winter and head back to Blacksburg until spring. Sigh!!
Mark figured that we needed to average 6 knots all day to make the 60 miles back to DVL and arrive during daylight. With the frequency and strength of the fronts coming through (and that were predicted to follow shortly), we decided to treat this leg of the trip like a delivery and motorsailed most of the way back. We had a lovely day and no close encounters like our night sail up. We took turns at the helm, the coldest spot, watched the other boats, and enjoyed soaking up the sun.
Two events broke up the day. The first was a little visitor who dropped in on us. For about 2 hours we had an oriole on the boat. We assume he was heading South, got tired, and decided to hitch a ride while he rested,
seeing as we were heading in the right direction. He kept hopping around the cockpit, would fly forward for a while and then come back and visit with us again. We were amazed at how tame he appeared, he would jump into the dinghy, spend some quality time there, then come back onto the boat. Eventually he flew away, maybe to go and visit another boat for a while. Thankfully he didn't leave lots of little 'calling cards' before he took off.The second was a bit more nerve wracking. We were just finishing bouncing across the mouth of the Potomac River. The wind was from the NW and the tide was coming in, in opposition to the wind. This combination makes for waves that are closer together and steeper than normal. Where the Potomac empties into the Chesapeake is well known for this "washing machine" action, and we were glad we were getting it behind us. We had been talking about how we should probably wear our harnesses and tether ourselves to the boat if we had to go forward to do anything. Suddenly the radio blared out a panicked woman's voice shouting "Man overboard!" - the words you hope to never hear or have to say.
She gave her location as about 6 miles down the Bay from us. They were a couple on a sailboat and the husband had fallen overboard, leaving the wife alone to control the boat, call for help, and retrieve him. After about 10 or 15 minutes of intently listening to the Coast Guard, nearby boats, and sporadic updates from the woman, we were relieved that she finally managed to retrieve him and all was well. But we both began to think about how we keep meaning to practice our man overboard procedures, but never seem to get around to it. (Note to selves - before going anywhere else on the boat, practice our man overboard drills).
This made us decide that, even in this relatively calm weather, we should probably tether ourselves to the boat when going forward. It's always best to 'stay on the boat'.
Several hours later, as we left the Bay and turned West into the Piankatank River, we had a lovely sail back to Jackson Creek. Julie spent some time sitting in her favourite spot, just forward of the mast, and had a little cry. The end of sailing season is always sad, especially this one in which we didn't get out nearly as much as we'd hoped.
We made good time and arrived at a slip at Deltaville marina just after 5pm, several of our friends were on the dock to welcome us home. The next day, another front came through with gusts into the 40s, and once again, we were happy to have hot showers and a safe harbor. One cruiser we met who was heading south for the winter said "I'm a bit embarrassed - here I am, on a sailboat, and I'm hiding from the wind." That pretty much says it all for our too short trip on Rachel this fall.
This is probably our last Khronicle until spring, stay safe and happy.
Fair winds,
Mark & Julie
s/v Rachel
PS - Julie's 50th Birthday Celebration following our arrival in Deltaville and lasting for over a week (whew!), finished up last night with a party at our house in Blacksburg. Now we can get off the rich food and high alcohol diet we've been on for the week and get our lives back to "normal". We're currently thinking about building Rachel a new wooden rowing / sailing / motoring dinghy over the winter. We'll let you know if we do, and will keep you posted on our progress.
