A few days ago, after motoring over glassy seas in 100 degree heat, I
anchored and went for a much needed and much appreciated swim. Gosh it
was good. After I got out I saw the first jellyfish. Big and sinister,
long and stringy. Then I saw another one. Well darn. Taking away my
afternoon swim is like taking away my rum and sunset. Well now, that
really limits me.
Solomons Island is a lot like Oriental, NC.
Lots and lots of boats. Various deep creeks wind around, with marinas
one-after-another. There must be thousands of boats here. This morning I
fueled, watered and iced. I motored all day every day from Coinjock NC
where I last fueled, and didn't use but 25 gallons of diesel. I am happy
about that. I also used 21 gallons of water in those six days (not so
happy-the allocation was 2 gallons a day), and still had ice in the
cooler (happy). Yesterday, after another of those 100 degree days, I got
to Solomons Island, on the Patuxent River. I anchored out in the river
instead of in the little enclosed anchorage behind the island, to get
what little breeze there was. It was reasonably cool when I went to
sleep after sunset on the foredeck, about 21:30. I was awakened about
two hours later by a powerful thunderstorm. The Pax River Navy Air
Station, which is within sight across the river, recorded 30 to 50 kt
wind with higher gusts. I got it all. I dragged anchor for the first
time, and the motion of the boat was so severe I couldn't do anything
about it. Fortunately I could follow my "progress" on the chartplotter,
and could tell when I was about to get into trouble. When the storm
eased up I had dragged about 2/3 the way across the two mile wide river,
right up close to the Air Station. On the trip up I have been using
the drifter whenever there was enough wind. I had it furled in front of
the genoa, but while I know how to secure a genoa in case of bad
weather, I apparently didn't know how to secure the drifter. She got
loose and shredded. My first dragged anchor and my first shredded sail. I
know why the sail got loose, but I do not know why the anchor did not
hold. It is sized for a 60 foot boat, and I had out 100 feet of chain in
15 feet of water. I have gone from not knowing anything about boating
and being humble, to having a lot of experience and knowing quite a lot,
and now back to being humble. Severe thunderstorms are forecasted
again for tonight, and I am quite apprehensive.
Speaking about
being apprehensive, I have been quite apprehensive about my trip back
home, trying to sail down the Chesapeake against the prevailing
southerly wind. I need to be back on the 17th, and have been scheduling
departing from Annapolis on the 9th. I have not been at all secure that I
could do that. Well yesterday I learned that Ted, my host aboard the
Liberty Ship "John W Brown", would be out of town next week. That
eliminated my excuse for going to Annapolis, and after some
consideration, decided to not continue up the Chesapeake, but rather
start heading back to North Carolina. I had violated one of the rules of
cruising: I can give a date (to meet someone), or I can give a place
(to meet someone). But I can not be at a certain place on a certain
date. When I met Normandie a few months ago in Turks & Caicos, I had
two weeks of contingency to make sure I was there when she got there. I
had only one day contingency on the 9 day trip back to NC. When I
decided to not keep going but to start working my way back, I felt at
peace. The apprehension was gone. Now I have 15 days to make it back,
and on the way will be able to swim in the fresh waters of the
Albermarle Sound, without jellyfish.
Bill Doar
Occasionally check: Adventtwo.blogspot.com There is stuff there that I don't send to everybody, like pictures.
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