Wind

 5/18- Divide Creek, Wye Island MD

  The forecast was for some big winds today. The folks on the dock were scattering first thing this morning trying to beat the blast. We were the last one to leave the dock and of course with the wind it was now a struggle. I manage to lasso the boat and we eventually got off the dock with me on the boat. Alayne did a great job backing her up and away we went. 

   It wasn’t too bad until we got near the Eastern Channel and then the wind was pretty much on the nose. We pounded through the waves and managed to cover the boat in salt. 

   We were headed for the Wye River when I noticed that our speed was cut in half. I didn’t think the waves were big enough to slow us down so I looked around and what do I find? The dinghy has flipped over and is acting like a big anchor. After struggling to right it I stopped the boat and pulled it up to the stern. The suction made it hard but once I got a corner above the water it just popped over. We got the boat moving again and I was tying the dinghy up when it flipped over again and dove under the water tearing the tabs that held the lines on right off. Looking later the winds were now 25-30 mph but Alayne skillfully performed a man over board drill and pulled us along side the upside down dinghy. I got a boat hook on it and managed to pull it up and over the lifelines while the boat was bouncing in the waves. I got it secured and we motored into the Wye River where everything was slightly calmer. 

   We motored a couple of miles up the winding river until we came to Divide Creek where we anchored. This is beautiful and secluded anchorage in Wye Island which is a state park of some kind. The anchorage is lined with these huge oak trees and amidst all the chaos of today it was a welcome respite. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sailing

 5/20- Boby Owl Cove, Broad Creek, Choptank River    We finally got to go sailing today. We put up the main sail and cruised out of the Wye River where I ran out the stay sail. When we made the turn to head for the Eastern Bay the wind was on the nose. We short tacked a few times before putting the motor back on to bump us around the point. Once there all three sails were up and we romped down the bay until the wind collapsed.      We had a choice here, we could continue sailing slowly and go outside of Poplar Island or turn the motor on and take the short way. We chose the motor as the wind was dying. Poplar Island is being extended with spoils from dredging operations. This inside track is a bit winding but near the southern end it gets very shallow. You have to follow a winding cut that is unmarked.     After we squeaked through there it was just a long couple of hour haul to the anchorage. This is another sweet anchorage which is kind of ...
Read more

The adventure begins

 I am sitting here on my couch in Vermont trying to remember all the stuff I will need to do to get ready for this trip. We have about a week to go and I keep wandering around the house and seeing stuff I think might be handy. If I keep this up too long the boat will not float on her water line anymore. We are simply ready to go ( I hope).  If you are following along I hope I don't bore you too much and that you enjoy our tale. Talk to you soon.
Read more

Leaks

 5/14/2025- Rock Hall MD   Well it poured last night. It was the kind of rain that made me glad I was on a boat. It was a good way to test for leaks. Boats are always springing leaks usually right where you least want them.     Boat leaks are also notoriously hard to track down. I have a porthole that leaks and despite having sealed the outside with a whole tube of caulking it still leaks. Water will come from pretty far away to spill out in the worst places. It gets under the headliner and travels down the length of the boat. I swear it leaches uphill even. I have even gone so far as to dye the water to see if I could figure out where it was coming from.     Well this porthole of mine that has the notorious leak was in perfect form this morning. As the rain crashed down outside the leak magnified and dropped a deluge right on my face. It was almost like taking a quick morning shower. I decided to just get up when it filled my mouth up with water....
Read more