10/25/2015 To 37 47.726N, 76
19.084W Mill Creek Anchorage of the Great Wicomico
River, VA 44.7 NM
.
With our plans for Sunday somewhat up in the air, we hauled the dinghy and settled in for the night. I heard the wind generator whistle a few times during the wee hours, but given the secure anchorage, didn't bother to get up and look at the wind direction. Morning was gray and drizzly with no wind (forecast had been SW10-15). The forecast indicated the wind shifting to the NW by early afternoon, and gusty, so we departed at 1030 after the wind went W to check out conditions on the bay. Other than a bit of persistent drizzle, conditions were good enough to head on our way (W10-15). Even with the late start, the chart plotter indicated we'd reach the Great Wicomico River anchorages around 1700, maybe earlier if the wind blew a bit harder and/or the current went in our favor. Sounded good to us, so we ran out the jib and motor sailed most of the way since the wind was less than 10 most of the day. Given the weather, pleasure boat traffic was light, and being in deeper water (35+ft) much of the time, bobbers were only an occasional problem.
I saw the first pelican of the trip just N of Solomns, and more as we headed S Sunday. They are great fun to watch as they fly in tight formation and dive like kamikaze into the water for fish. They are one of a handful of birds designed to dive headfirst into the water, sometimes from great heights. Thick headed must apply to withstand the force of hitting the water head first at high speed. Hopefully dolphins will appear soon too, to brighten our days with their antics. Watching wild life on these trips has always been interesting and one of my favorite parts of the trips.
It was a bit of a surprise to find the Great Wicomico entrance mark gone as we entered the river. It was a fixed structure mounted on a tripod of long poles. Would have been a huge surprise had we arrived after dark! However we arrived, as planned, around 1700, with plenty of light to negotiate our way up Mill Creek (one of many in the Chesapeake), to a protected anchorage for the strong NW winds in the forecast. They certainly weren't in evidence during the afternoon. We were glad the wind and current were in sync, and going more or less in the direction we were headed, as we crossed the mouth of the Potomac - it's a big river, over 10NM from Point Lookout to Smith Point - with a lot of NW fetch and can be miserable when the elements aren't in our favor.
All in all, it wasn't a bad day. We considered raising the main several times, but knew if we did, the wind would blow and we'd soon be reefing. The anchorage is snug and it should provide a peaceful night. The next challenge is figuring out where to spend Wednesday - Thursday, when it sounds like we'll have ample time to see how the side curtains work in rain with the passage of a stronger cold front. There a lots of places to tuck in and wait it out, which we plan to do since we don't have a tight schedule.
We'll also need to negotiate possible RR bridge closings as we depart Norfolk. From looking at Active Captain, it appears tie replacement on the bridge hasn't gone as smoothly as planned, causing an extended period of restrictions for all traffic headed S of Norfolk. Naturally we've heard no mention of this on Channel 16, although perhaps we need to pay closer attention to Local Notice to Mariners. Although I can't say we've been impressed with the Coasties - most announcements are unreadable given the speed with which they are delivered. Perhaps a career as an auctioneer would be appropriate when they exit the service.
We've been fortunate in fuel usage this trip, thanks to having the
wind blowing from some quadrant other than dead ahead most days,
the Delaware Bay being the odd day out. Firing up the engine
to run the windlass while hauling the anchor and getting out on
the bay and into our chosen anchorages at the end of the day has
worked well, providing hot water and keeping the batteries topped
off. With the wind blowing either from some northerly
quadrant, we've been lazy, opting to just run out the jib which
has provided enough sail area to maintain a reasonable speed as we
head S. .
With our plans for Sunday somewhat up in the air, we hauled the dinghy and settled in for the night. I heard the wind generator whistle a few times during the wee hours, but given the secure anchorage, didn't bother to get up and look at the wind direction. Morning was gray and drizzly with no wind (forecast had been SW10-15). The forecast indicated the wind shifting to the NW by early afternoon, and gusty, so we departed at 1030 after the wind went W to check out conditions on the bay. Other than a bit of persistent drizzle, conditions were good enough to head on our way (W10-15). Even with the late start, the chart plotter indicated we'd reach the Great Wicomico River anchorages around 1700, maybe earlier if the wind blew a bit harder and/or the current went in our favor. Sounded good to us, so we ran out the jib and motor sailed most of the way since the wind was less than 10 most of the day. Given the weather, pleasure boat traffic was light, and being in deeper water (35+ft) much of the time, bobbers were only an occasional problem.
A barge pushing a big raft of steel beams
I saw the first pelican of the trip just N of Solomns, and more as we headed S Sunday. They are great fun to watch as they fly in tight formation and dive like kamikaze into the water for fish. They are one of a handful of birds designed to dive headfirst into the water, sometimes from great heights. Thick headed must apply to withstand the force of hitting the water head first at high speed. Hopefully dolphins will appear soon too, to brighten our days with their antics. Watching wild life on these trips has always been interesting and one of my favorite parts of the trips.
It was a bit of a surprise to find the Great Wicomico entrance mark gone as we entered the river. It was a fixed structure mounted on a tripod of long poles. Would have been a huge surprise had we arrived after dark! However we arrived, as planned, around 1700, with plenty of light to negotiate our way up Mill Creek (one of many in the Chesapeake), to a protected anchorage for the strong NW winds in the forecast. They certainly weren't in evidence during the afternoon. We were glad the wind and current were in sync, and going more or less in the direction we were headed, as we crossed the mouth of the Potomac - it's a big river, over 10NM from Point Lookout to Smith Point - with a lot of NW fetch and can be miserable when the elements aren't in our favor.
Fish Traps on the approach to the Great Wicomico
All in all, it wasn't a bad day. We considered raising the main several times, but knew if we did, the wind would blow and we'd soon be reefing. The anchorage is snug and it should provide a peaceful night. The next challenge is figuring out where to spend Wednesday - Thursday, when it sounds like we'll have ample time to see how the side curtains work in rain with the passage of a stronger cold front. There a lots of places to tuck in and wait it out, which we plan to do since we don't have a tight schedule.
We'll also need to negotiate possible RR bridge closings as we depart Norfolk. From looking at Active Captain, it appears tie replacement on the bridge hasn't gone as smoothly as planned, causing an extended period of restrictions for all traffic headed S of Norfolk. Naturally we've heard no mention of this on Channel 16, although perhaps we need to pay closer attention to Local Notice to Mariners. Although I can't say we've been impressed with the Coasties - most announcements are unreadable given the speed with which they are delivered. Perhaps a career as an auctioneer would be appropriate when they exit the service.
Red barn on Mill Creek at the Great Wicomico River
The current is another issue over which we have little control, and we've found the current heading N as we sail S until we head toward an anchorage when it flows downstream, having gone past slack water on the bay. The reality is it's going the wrong way far longer than with us, in part because it takes longer to cover a similar distance than when the current is with us. We could wait a week or so when we could catch a boost, but that's not a realistic probability. Argh! We try to ignore it as much as possible, just glad we haven't been plagued by strong current against the wind, that makes for short, choppy waves - not smooth sailing.
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