Quiet Waters Park to Shaw Bay

Our stay in Quiet Waters Park was a mixed blessing. We were thrilled to see the miles of expansive park that surrounded our little anchorage and knew this was the perfect place for Marie to bring the kids, and only a three hour drive from where she was visiting. As for us, not only is the West Marine within a mile or so walking distance, but so are some good eats at ‘Gramps’ and the Giant grocery is just around that corner. We hit ‘Tiffany’s for Boaters,’ dined on eggs benedict and did some provisioning including preparations for the kids. On our way back, we met a mother a son on the long park path. With camera in hand, she was attempting to digitally capture the local species of birds, including a particular woodpecker. Her son seemed to have an endless arsenal of rapid fire of questions when it seemed to hit him that we really had a boat anchored close. We offered to show them Hold Fast. His mom sized us up, and then put us in her vehicle to drive us to the end of the park and location of our dingy. Her son was not timid and wanted to see and understand everything on the boat. It was great fun!

Coming to this anchorage was part of our ‘plan’ to meet Marie and the kids on Saturday. It was not to be. Marie’s car had other plans. Plans that required temporary fixes until a proper fix was arranged, all before she made her long journey back to Jacksonville. We exchanged emails, left each other messages and finally talked on the phone. The closest we got to the kids that weekend was to hear their squeals in the background on the phone. Plan B is to meet in Jacksonville sometime in October. In the meantime, there is always Skype.

We had been warned that this anchorage would be busy over the weekend as it was a favorite place by the locals. A fair warning. Boats of all types came and went. Even with the turnaround of boats, there tended to be about 20-25 boats in the anchorage at any time during the day. At night, it was reduced to six or so. We feel blessed to have met a local couple that frequent the spot. They are interested in moving from a Rinker 31 to a trawler in a few years and doing some coastal cruising and/or the Loop. We tried to help them with any questions or concerns they might have. In the process, we were able to share with each other our love for Christ. This opened all kinds of doors for discussion. We spent Saturday evening and all Sunday with them, talking about boats and the Bible, and they fed us a wonderful meal. By dusk, they were the last boat to leave the anchorage. Suddenly we were completely alone in the anchorage that had been so vibrant during the weekend. I think I know now how mom felt when everyone left her house after Christmas. You do not want it to end, knowing very well it will, then seem surprised by the loneliness. We worked silently stowing the dingy and engine and preparing for our sail the next day. Sad it was over but thanking God we had met new friends that we will never forget. We hope to see them again, either on the Chesapeake or out on mission.

Today’s sail was the best we had yet on the Chesapeake. Winds were NW and most of the time we could keep our course on some doable point of sail. A lot of jibing and only about 45 minutes of patiently waiting on better wind when we dropped down to two knots of speed. It was such a fair sailing day that one sailboat came out of their way to cross out path and say ‘hello.’ Shaw Bay is a fairly open anchorage, plenty of room. There are four other boats anchored here tonight, most of us sailed all the way up to the anchorage. Some days we are frustrated with Hold Fast. Today, she redeemed herself. Another blessing!

From Quiet Waters Park to Shaw Bay

So far, our Alfa long-distance wi-fi is working flawlessly.

Love to all,
Dena

{GMST}38|51.375|N|076|11.072|W|Anchored|Shaw Bay{GEND}
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Pirate’s Cove to Quiet Waters Park

Trippe Creek (Pirate’s Cove) was an enjoyable anchorage off the Choptank River’s Tred Avon River. The anchorage was protected enough to keep any significant fetch down and large enough to anchor several boats. Even so, the first night we shared the anchorage with one boat and the remaining two nights we were all alone. Our last day included more explorigating in our dingy. Yesterday morning the Tred Avon was so calm that our dingy raced along over 18 knots. The five miles to our destination at Easton Point Marina was over in around fifteen minutes. It seemed like it took longer to figure out a safe place to tie up the dink. There was not much to see at Easton Point, but we did buy and devour a couple of ice creams out of the tiny market’s freezer before jetting back to Hold Fast.
Our destination for today was unplanned, at least until last night. I thought we were done with the western shore, but our Jacksonville adopted daughter, Marie, and her three kids have occasion to be in the tippy top corner of West Virginia, and she wants to make the three hour drive from there to see us on Saturday. Call her crazy and us too, but we are going to try to make this work out. Myron found this anchorage off of Quiet Waters Park, which affords Marie a parking spot very near where we are anchored. We obtained permission from the boat rental joint to use their dock to pick up Marie and gang. These are our best laid plans, maybe it will all work out. Unlike Trippe Creek, this is a very small anchorage and yet there are about four boats in here tonight. We have found this is more often the case in the much more populated western shore.
The journey here was full of about every point of sail, on the Tred Avon, on the Choptank, dodging crab pots crossing the shoals between Tilghman Island and the former Sharp’s Island, and we were beginning to tack up the Chesapeake until, as you can see by our track, the wind died forcing us to motor-sail the rest. It was a refreshingly cool day at 85, mostly due to cloud cover and occasional showers. Much of this was marred however by another equipment failure. Upon arriving, we had to drop anchor in a hurry, Myron had to identify and trouble-shoot the issue, and then fix it. I help where I can. We dropped anchor just after 4 pm and were done with the concern about 8 pm. It is another disappointment for the shake-down’s equipment failure list. On the bright side, we did not see any sea nettles (jellyfish) which gave us the freedom to jump in and wash the engine room heat out of our memory.
Tonight I will leave you with a story disclosed in one of our guides about Sharp’s Island, named after its owner Peter Sharp. It was south of Tilghman Island, and in 1675 it was about 900 acres. By 1847 the Chesapeake’s weather had reduced the island to 473 acres, and then the erosion accelerated. The present lighthouse was built in 1882 on a 5-acre circular plot of land that disappeared along with the rest of the island. The lighthouse was tilted by ice in 1973 and again in 1976.

From Sharps Island

Our guide says “Periodically, the Coast Guard proposes to remove the lighthouse. So far it has survived both the weather and the Coast Guard.”
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}38|56.045|N|076|30.569|W|Anchored|Quiet Waters Park{GEND}
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Cambridge to Pirate's Cove

The staff were very helpful and kind at Cambridge Municipal Yacht Basin, it made up for the rolly mornings and evenings we endured in the slip (it is a basin not a harbor). Although we were mostly focused on tasks at hand, we had a good time in Cambridge and met up again with Russ and Jane on ‘Luna.’ On Sunday we rode the marina’s loaner bikes to First Baptist Church about a mile from the marina. It is a small church and it was great to see the Holy Spirit move. We were blessed and we were told we were a blessing to them. We will visit that church again if we get back in Cambridge.

We mentioned the failure of the Bullet 2HP after only seven weeks of use. It is on the list of disappointing gear failures. Even before we realized the importance of the bullet, its advantage in staying connected, and its incredible 4.5 mile range, we were diligent in our care of it and would take it down for stowing if a storm or strong winds threatened. On inspection, Myron found condensation inside the bullet. Clearly we need a more robust solution. After hours of research, Myron settled on testing an alternative: Alfa 1000mW USB Wireless G/B Adapter (AWUS036H). It is a USB solution as opposed to the bullet’s Ethernet. Our departure from the marina was delayed until the Alfa was delivered, another helpful marina staff accommodation. Myron briefly tested it in the marina, and then we were off. We should mention that Alfa also has a Tube-U water resistant solution that we will likely test out as well. In any case, we realize that we need a backup, as with all essential equipment. When at anchor, the internet access is handy for monitoring thunderstorms and their proximity to us.

We motor-sailed the majority of our short trip today. We pulled in sail at the Tred Avon entrance to better maneuver around a gang of prams. We love to see the kids learning to sail and the last thing we want to do is traumatize them, even if they were hogging the entrance channel.

From Cambridge to Pirate's Cove

We are anchored in Pirate’s Cove. You could describe it as a big cove or a small bay. There is plenty of room for several boats, our favorite sticky mud, and we have 360 protection. Any fetch would require at least 40 knots and still should not be substantial. Just a few hours after anchoring, we had a thunderstorm blow through with winds over 30 knots. Thankfully it was not the main cell, we know this because of the internet! We also know there are more storms coming throughout the night. On the bright side, it keeps things much cooler!

From Cambridge to Pirate's Cove

Today is Myron’s birthday. No huge celebration, but I did make a pasta, zucchini and sweet Italian sausage dish, even in this heat, and then chocolate pudding for dessert. We are stuffed. This time I made the pudding with real milk. A few weeks ago I learned that almond milk does not cut it for making pudding, the result was more like something you would drink with a straw!

Love to all,
Dena


{GMST}38|42.673|N|076|07.267|W|Anchored|Pirate's Cove {GEND}
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La Trappe Creek to Cambridge

The stay at La Trappe was fantastic. There was just one house within close view of the anchorage. We discovered that it was rented out for a family reunion, inclusive of cool water toys such as kayaks and a john boat with a Honda motor, thankfully there were no jet skis. Their significant grass yard was well shaded and was alternatively used for bad mitten, soccer, tag and tents. There was a pool, as if the creek and cove were not enough, and a dock with crab traps. At one point, there must have been 30 kids running around and three grumpy old men fishing off the end of the dock. It was actually a blessing to hear the happy squeals of children…at a distance. We called it the kid camp and it was very active. They brought their own chicken necks, tied them on a weighted line and rang that line at least 20 times a day to keep themselves eating crab throughout their stay.

Every morning we were greeted by low flying Hogs, aka A10 Warthogs. The comfort of familiarity must have set in because our last day we saw the lowest and closest flyover yet – we giggled with pleasure at our own air show. We also occupied ourselves at La Trappe by swimming and ‘explorigating’ in our dingy. We went to the head of La Trappe Creek a couple of times and checked out Trappe Landing, a former boat building site and now very quiet marina, boat yard and storage. We were amazed at what we saw up there in about five feet of water. Three travel lifts (lift boats out of water) and huge work buildings. We also took a long trip out on Choptank River over to Island Creek. According to the charts that creek entrance is too shoal for Hold Fast. Just as well, we discovered a heavy population of McMansions that gobbled up the shoreline. Now and again, we could detect the original farm houses and caught a glimpse the golden corn beyond the trees. Take a gander at our tracks on the Google map.

From Solomons to La Trappe Creek

As we pulled up anchor today and washed away that sticky beautiful mud that holds us so well, some adults from the kid camp came over in the john boat to say goodbye. We expressed our apologies that we might have interrupted their scenic cove, but they felt an anchored sailboat was part of the beauty of the scene. I cannot think of a better compliment!

We left for a temporary stay at a marina, something we do not particularly care for, especially after the serenity of the hook. It was the "lesser of two weevils" however as the temperature reached 102 today with a heat index of much worse. Today was about provisions and seeking to solve our Wi-Fi antenna dilemma. We fared better than the last heat wave as there is much less pollution on the eastern shore. Hopefully the heat index tomorrow will be 105 or less. I have reserved the marina bikes for a trek to Advanced Auto, a computer store and groceries. The Dockmaster did not think we would have any competition for the use of the bikes. Please note that a primary purpose of our trek in this heat is our quest to restore our long-range Wi-Fi abilities. If that is not accomplished tomorrow, we will be less frequent on our communications and we will lose our ability to upload tracks. Please bear with us. I threaten to write a blog on all the equipment that has failed us in less than two months, much of it new. Although it is part of the shake-down, it is much too depressing and I find myself easily distracted by something else, pretty much anything else.

Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}38|34.583|N|076|04.448|W|Docked|Cambridge{GEND}
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Solomons to La Trappe Creek

It is indeed a small world. At Calvert Marina we docked behind Diamond Girl, a 36’ Nova. Bud commented on my Camarillo Flight Center hat and, within what seemed like seconds, we realized we shared the stomping grounds of Ventura Yacht Club back in the ‘90’s. Bud was the Commodore and Myron and I used to crew for John Grether on Strider, his J35C. Bud and Elaine have been cruising between Florida and Chesapeake for about six years and just celebrated their 48th anniversary. Not only do they have longevity, but they also have true grit – Diamond Girl has no air conditioning, just fans. They expect that our hot weather might last another couple of weeks. They are working for Waterway Guide and were kind enough to give us some tips on primo anchorage spots. They also gave us a new Skipper Bob guide – woo hoo!
One of the anchorage tips was La Trappe Creek. I was ready to pass it by, too shoal an entrance to risk, but they encouraged us. The air during the trip over was thick, a prime thunderstorm making day. As the day wore on, we sensed the thunderstorms chasing us into the anchorage. My prayers were frequent that we would encounter the thunderstorm before or after the entrance, just not during. Our latest routine is that it is my job to get us to the entrance, and Myron’s job to get us through the entrance. As he rounded the second channel marker he told me to brace myself because the bottom was shoaling quickly. We were expecting to see a minimum of ten feet on the entrance, but it came up to six feet. Thank God the six feet held. We were holding our breath as well and let out a collective sigh as the bottom dropped down to ten feet again. We dropped the hook in eight feet and grabbed right away, probably in that sticky mud, the perfect match for our Manson Supreme anchor. A second sailboat arrived shortly before the thunderstorms and now a third is here. We are tight in this little cove, but the holding is good, the water is skinny, so not much scope is required, which makes us all play well with each other when swinging only on one hook.
The thunderstorms were perfect timing and a God send. It is cooler now, the rain stopped, a slight breeze continues and we can open our ports. It should, we hope, be a pleasant night’s sleep.

From Solomons to La Trappe Creek

As a side note, we were unable to attend church on Sunday. There was nothing within walking distance and we are only allowed to borrow the marina car for an hour at a time. We will see if it holds true, but our theory is that churches are more readily available within walking distance in small towns.
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}38|37.917|N|076|07.163|W|Martin Pt|La Trappe Creek{GEND}
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Calvert Marina/Heat wave

Today we moved to Calvert Marina to suffer thru this heat wave in air-conditioning.
Myron
{GMST}38|19.941|N|076|27.438|W|Calvert Marina|Solomons{GEND}
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Crisfield to Mill Creek

Crisfield was a nice stay, and not just because of the air conditioner, although I must admit, that was dreamy. It must be a fact that they are the crab capital of the world. We took a walking tour of the crab processing plants via a worker at the local museum. We got to touch things on the tour, like soft shell crabs and feisty hard shell crabs. Mostly the sales were soft shell crabs, but they also pick steamed crabs – and at that place I bought one pound of jumbo lump crab for only $18. We had crab cakes tonight, some crab on pasta the other night, and the rest we will have with eggs. We also bought a dozen steamed hard shell crabs for $20 and ate those at a picnic table (not on Hold Fast please!) We found a church on Sunday and met more of the locals. All in all, a great stay and we recommend a visit.
Then the time comes for more adventuring. We took on our first fuel this morning, at $3.66/gal for diesel, plus tax, and that was with the BoatUS discount. Today’s forecast called for 10 to 15 knots out of the South. We never saw it. It was a hot and steamy day, teasing us occasionally with five knots out of the NW, the direction we were heading. Hold Fast needs more wind than that, and on at least a 45 for tight reaching. We started to head in to Solomons, but ‘Luna,’ another Whitby 42, had just anchored outside the creek and told us that all the creeks were full with boats at anchor, probably left over from the four days of racing. We swiftly sorted through the gunkholing guide and found Mill Creek further up the Patuxent. We found a cove with no houses on 75% of the shoreline, very well protected and good ‘ol sticky mud. Even with the water-skiers, this is still a very nice place. I have not seen a jellyfish and we saw others swimming this evening. That may be on the agenda for us tomorrow.
Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}38|20.189|N|076|30.188|W|Mill Creek|Solomons{GEND}
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Sandy Point, Great Wicomico River to Crisfield, MD

Yesterday we gunkholed around Great Wicomico River, found a nice little spot to wait out a NW blow and then re-positioned back at Sandy Point in preparation to cross the Bay. Sandy Point is nice because it has almost 360 degree protection from fetch…except NW of course. The heat index on most places around the Chesapeake was over 100 yesterday, it was a tough night to get any sleep once the wind disappeared.

From Deltaville to Sandy Point

We are using a combination of guides to the Chesapeake, but I must say that our go-to tends to be ‘Cruising Guide to the Chesapeake’ by William Shellenberger. He has a couple of definitions on the book cover (his words not mine): “‘Gunkhole’ – a shallow cove of channel nearly unnavigable because of mud, rocks, or vegetation; ‘Gunkholer’ – a species of boater that is inexorably drawn to gunkholes in search of seclusion, adventure, wildlife – or just by an ungovernable urge to see what’s around the next bend.”

When dropping the anchor last night we saw something quite new to us. Some small crabs were swimming near the surface among all the jellyfish. At first we thought the jellyfish were in pursuit of the crabs, but then I witnessed a crab go at the jellyfish fast and furious with both claws, cramming the pieces into its mouth as quickly as possible. “You go” I yelled to the crab! It made my day to know that these jellyfish have an enemy. They have ruined every swimming hole.

The forecast called for light winds in the morning and small craft advisories in the afternoon. At first we ghosted along about 2 knots under main and jib, then as the wind freshened we put busted old granddad up (mizzen) and soon we were seeing over 5 knots boat speed with about 10-15 knots wind on the beam. Out on the Atlantic, we blew out the clue out on old granddad. Not desiring to completely lose use of the mizzen we tied the reef into the outhaul to put old granddad back into commission until we get the new sail (already on order from Rolly Tasker). It was good to be sailing again, but there was no time to kickback as we entered into “skinny water” (9-11 feet) on the Tangier Sound. Skinny water also equals crab pots.

From Sandy Point, Great Wicomico River to Crisfield, MD

We first were attracted to Crisfield because of the “all you can eat” crab and clam bake festival. Floyd Ward’s family was from Crisfield and he was very excited to hear it was on our agenda. At Crisfield, we can either anchor in the small harbor or take a slip. Myron surprised me with taking a slip in celebration of our 31st anniversary. It is not cheap, but we doubt we will see lower prices as we head north. We will be here for the next six days and try to get some projects done, including changing out the engine fresh water pump. During his pre-start check, Myron discovered that the pump was starting to fail, and to our surprise, we do not have a spare. We ordered it as soon as we settled in at the marina – then we headed out for…you guessed it…ice cream! One of the most significant advantages of docking at the marina: air conditioner. It will be a sound sleep tonight!

Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}37|58.677|N|075|51.478|W|in the slip|Crisfield{GEND}
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Deltaville to Sandy Point

We stayed longer in Deltaville than we expected. The people are
friendly and welcoming and the anchorage is well protected. Such
attributes make any place difficult to leave; we have not really
figured out a timeline or destination anyway. Besides, did you zoom
in on that entrance? That was some tight gunk-holing and we wanted to
pick a calm high-tide morning to leave. We watched two sailboats get
grounded in the shoals Saturday before the regatta. No serious
damage, but it sent the crew lurching forward on deck. Someone was
not paying attention to the video game…
It had been some time since we had taken on water and we prepared to
catch rain from one of the many thunderstorms that came through our
newly adopted town. We discovered that the water needed to run at a
pretty good pace to overcome the lip around the tank fills. We prayed
for rain that would help us, but not hurt the town. Our tank fills
for the starboard and port saddle tanks are just forward of mid-ship,
reducing the area of rain capture. The collection was miserly for the
first few days, below the rate of usage. Floyd mentioned that some
areas were expecting flash floods on Friday. We dammed up around our
fill caps in anticipation. The first storm of the day was a gulley
washer. We could put an ear on the floorboard over the starboard
water tank and hear the water trickle into the tank. We were gaining
and we were thrilled! The second storm came on about 10 in the evening
and was even more productive. About 2 a.m. Myron had to go out into
the rain and close the port tank cap because the tank was overfilling
and running into the bilge. We believe our saddle tanks are 100
gallons. Quite impressive, our cup runneth over, praise God! Jean
told us their rain gauge showed over 4 inches that day, yet no one
suffered any flood damage. He hears our prayers.
Jean and Floyd Ward are the couple we met when we attended church on
Sunday, July 3. They were incredibly gracious to us, invited us to
their home and to a youth choir performance in Urbanna led by their
grandson. He has been leading this youth choir since he was 14,
twenty years ago. We have been fortunate enough to meet many of Jean
and Floyd's family members, play with their cat "Midnight," tour the
tug boat and get much of the history of the town and the watermen.
The museum we attended was informative to be sure, but this personal
trip to the past was even better. It was a pleasure to return to
church with them yesterday. We even met the couple who bought Floyd's
mother's house and spent a few hours discussing our Messiah,
scripture, prophecy, and the events unfolding today.
I also told John that, in exchange for the tug tour, I would make
mention in our blog that the tug is for sale. I do not know the
price, but some details include two V-12 GM Detroits (1294's) and dual
generators larger than the engine on Hold Fast. You would need at
least a 150 Ton captain's license to operate her. Each of the two
props are 74" in diameter. The cable on the tug had to be 1.5 inches
and the anchor and tow attachment lines could do serious damage to a
back if not probably handled. Other than all that, it would make a
very nice cruising boat. Leave a comment if you are an interested
buyer!
We left Deltaville today on the morning high-tide and headed for
Reedville. Winds were favorable and it was a relatively quick trip.
As you can see by our tracks (zoom in on the Google map), we winded
our way back into the town. It was incredibly quaint, well protected
and the holding ground is known to be good. However, the town is the
home for the entire menhaden fishing fleet and processing. A healthy
South wind was blowing and we could not find a place on that creek
that was not odiferous. It was under mutual agreement that we pulled
a tight u-turn and sought anchorage elsewhere upwind. We are anchored
off Sandy Point as a result. The wind is strong giving us a little
fetch. We do not mind a bit. We are not downwind from the processing
plant and the ships, and the wind makes tolerable today's 90+ heat.
If the wind calms down, we may launch the dingy and do some exploring,
but for now it is time to shower (just maybe some of that odor stuck
to my skin?) and grill something for dinner.
Dena
{GMST}37|49.437|N|076|18.501|W|near Reedsville|Sandy Point{GEND}
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Deltaville, VA

Last night 'Alfin II,' a Brewer 44, circled us at anchor several times asking what we knew of the weather forecast. They were evaluating their window to run outside up to Newport, RI. Myron said he was getting an update on the HAM radio about 6 or 7, when propagation improved. They invited us to aboard for dinner as thanks for the weather report. It was a wonderful evening of tasty Cuban food and good conversation. Kiko and Gordi conduct boat accident analysis for the USCG.

As to our weather, we were promised light air for the next few days, from alternating directions. Might as well poke our bow out into the Chesapeake at dawn and see if we could catch some favorable wind. It was favorable, but light, for the first several hours. A nice broad reach until the winds went too light. It was going to be a tough entrance into Jackson Creek, something to only be attempted during daylight hours, so on came the iron sail and we arrived about 2:30 pm. Myron says that inlet is not for the faint at heart.

We tried the public dock for a 24 hour stay, and after getting all docked in by ourselves, we walked to the sign that does not face the dock which prohibited overnight docking. Away from the dock we went to a spectacular anchor spot surrounded by homes in pine trees. It is so beautiful we felt guilty and kept waiting for someone to come tell us we had to leave. Now there are other boats anchored around us, we feel pretty smart! If there is a drawback here, it is that the water is full of jellyfish. No swimming to be had here, and the swimming is so tempting. I pointed out one to Myron with tentacles almost three feet long. I only found small ones for pictures.

The town is putting on 'Heritage Day' tomorrow. We will figure out where to dock our dingy and take the long walk to Tiffany's (West Marine), hitting the festivities on the way back. We are hoping there are some bay crabs cooked up with our name on them. This town also has a museum and some historical sites. Not sure how long we will stay here, there seems plenty to do.

A man rowed by in his kayak and told us about the tornado that struck here recently. We took the dingy to see some of the downed trees and some more folks told us to tour the town on foot. Apparently the center was torn right out of one church, leaving the sides standing only.

Much to see yet, off to get some rest. Love to all,
Dena
{GMST}37|32.804|N|076|20.291|W|nice neighborhood|Deltaville, VA{GEND}
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