From Grahm Creek to Inlet Creek

This was a nice easy trip mainly because of the distance and the channel so straight, but I knew that another front was coming thru and I would have plenty of time to settle into Inlet creek. On the way down to the creek you can see the last bridge you have to go thru before entering Charleston harbor. It was very tempting to keep going, and after all wasn't I just going to Charleston? How much farther could the Charleston "City" boatyard be? Thank goodness I didn't - "City" ain't got anything to do with where that boatyard is! Arriving at the creek I turned right as if I was getting off the I95 checking the chart it looked like I had plenty of water for at least a half mile up.  I got to the mouth at about half tide with it coming in so I had to careful to anchor in the right place but with plenty of water showing on the charts no big deal Ha! The creek takes a lot of hard sharp bends so that you can't see whats around the corner until you get there. Well just around that first corner it had silted in to a bar that went half way across and where the only thing that could get thru would be a small outboard. So much for 12 to 15'!
I dropped the anchor 200' back from the bar in 8-10' with 60' of rode out, plenty for riding out a strong breeze - I hope. The creek at this point seemed about 100' wide so hopefully the breeze wouldn't shift so I would be up against the edge but what are you going to do?
 I had plenty of time before dark so went out for a row and by the time I got back the tide had come in enough to cover the bar. Boy if I had come in then I would have run right up on top of it without a clue! Down below I thought I would give Charleston a break tomorrow and took a shower. As I was drying my hair I heard a boat boat coming into the creek and popped my head up to see what it was. To my surprise a 40 footer went past me at about 5 knots with another 40 footer right behind him heading straight for what was now the hidden bar! I screamed at the top of my lungs and with that luckily the first boat heard me and came to a very impressive stop while the boat behind him had to not only slow dow but avoid hitting him.  It was almost comical. I yelled over that there was a hidden bar not fifty feet in front of him and he responded that he had been here before and didn't remember any bar.. Okay so I was really fibbing and just want to see you guys pile up on one another, what can I say I'm bored! They slowly came around and went towards the creek entrance to find a place to anchor. But the first guy slowed down and dropped his hook, backed down and I was astounded that when he finished his transom was directly over my anchor! I could spit and hit his boat. Now what do I do? Do I yell, Do I ask nicely, He was a big ugly guy in a big ugly pirate looking thing. Crap. So to review... I save this guy and his buddy from running up on a oyster encrusted sand bar at the top of the tide and no one say thanks, even a nod would have been nice, and then  Captain Jack Sparrow decides to park 40' in front of me, and all this with a front coming thru, thunder storms and all! Time for wine. Also, I have 60' of rode out. Whats going to happen when the wind shifts and he's behind me? If he doesn't have a lot of scope out we're going to be bunk buddies. I refuse to move - I was here first. More wine.
The suns going down and with the sky changing every minute its beautiful, and dramatic at the same time. I can only think here it comes. As the 6' tide recedes and Star drops ever so slowly I see less and less of the golden marshes, while the sides of the creek creep in towards the boats, how thin the creek gets only time  will tell. The boats have turned with the tide and Capt Long John realizing he's misjudged things brings in some of his scope, it's still not enough but better.
I wish I could say the rest of the night was dull, but alas it wasn't. The breeze came in and with it thunder storms with amazing amounts of rain. So much so, you couldn't see the boats behind me even though we were so cozy and close. The breeze shifted and with the tide going out at a good rate I found Star hardly moving and actually come to think of it she wasn't moving at all! I was hard aground, well in the mud, there was only one thing to do - I went to sleep. Star would have to figure it out for herself.
In the morning I was floating but the wind still had some strength to it. I sat with my tea and watch with some glee as the "gentleman" in front of me had to grind in his chain rode by hand, I swear he going to drop dead on deck at any moment, but he got it in and he and his buddy on the other boat raced off to catch the bridge and get a early start on the day. Once again with a bit of glee I knew that the bridge's first opening wasn't until 9:00 o'clock, it now being around 7:00 they were going to have to mill about for two solid hours - oh well!

Yet another special place in the Chesapeake

From Mill Creek on the Great Wicomico River to Jackson Creek on the Piankatank River. The trip was 27 miles long. It took 6hrs. even, and the average speed was 4.5 knts. This was a great trip because I was able to sail the whole way. The breeze was out of the north with some pretty good swells. The boat really needs some type of centerboard or keel attached to what's already there, which is a big hunk of cast-iron about two feet deep giving me a total of three feet of draft. It will be great for the Bahamas but it's a little squirrelly when's there's a lump on the quarter-- not enough lateral resistance. But that being said I turned the corner at Stingray Point and the breeze had to of been steady 18-20 on the nose and the boat did fine. I went to the southern fork on the creek and dropped the hook. I wish everyone from the northeast could get chance to sail the Chesapeake there are some very special places and Jackson creek is one them. 

Just a 26' boat with an 8hp motor

     I went to a museum about the canal in the morning( pic). Decided to move on and get into the Bay proper. The day is warm with some thunder showers predicted. Get to the head of the bay here I am --yea! 
     Raise the main, breeze seems to be coming up. In less than 5 minutes I'm doing everything I can to get it down. Wind's dead on the nose and getting stronger by the minute. I am heading for a buoy and the boat's doing 2 knots. The seas are building because of the fetch; now I have every wave with a whitecap and the buoys are not getting any closer. A wall of white comes down on me and a couple of other boats. It takes the bow, pushes me sideways, and in doing so flattens the boat. Thank goodness for a big rudder. It spins around, stands up and there's no way to turn the boat around into the wind even if I wanted to. I'm going back. Nothing else to do.
     Back in the anchorage there's nothing that I can think of that I should have done differently, it's just a 26' boat with an 8hp motor. They are predicting gusts to 30 knts after the front comes through. Saturday will be a good day for updating the blog, going for a walk.......

Faster than marsh grass

I woke early to calm, dark, foggy morning which seemed fitting for this place. The river was just starting to turn with the tide coming in and I knew I had to leave soon or it would be another day on the Cohansey. Cranked up the motor and headed down river. By the time I got to the mouth, the boat at almost full throttle was doing 1-1.5 knots.   The marsh grass could not be moving any slower.
     Breaking free of the river I headed to the channel to get out of all the crabtrap floats. Can't wrap anything around the shaft now can we? Visibility was 100 yds but the GPS kept coming through.
     By the hour the wind kept lifting and with the current helping and all sails set  I was at Reedy Island by10:30.  Wow the boat was doing between 6-7 knots. Why not go all the way to the canal?  Got to the start of the canal(pic) just as the tide turned in my favor. What a great day! Passing big ships and barges very cool. Pulled into Chesapeake City set the anchor and just sat and reflected how all sailing days should be just like that. Something tells me I'm going to pay for that last statement!

Excuse me, do you have boxed tofu?

I woke stuck my head out the hatch and no palm trees! Just the chocolate colored Cohansey ripping by at a calm 4 knots. Today will be a lay day waiting for the weather to pass. A trip to the store to buy supplies and maybe a Cheeseburger!(pics).
     I went in to the supermarket with the same list I would use in CT, boxed tofu? You sell to the people not the idea. This was farm country and in places like this you have a large migrant worker population. So everything in the store revolved around a Mexican or South American diet. It was very cool.

It doesn't look 40-feet deep!

Being anchored at the mouth of the Cohansey was not where I wanted to spend the time waiting out bad weather, so I decided to move the boat up the river to the town of Greenwich, which according to the book is a quaint little historic village. I was expecting something like Essex. Ha! 
     There were two broken down marinas, the current was amazing. I dropped the hook where recommended but it seemed I had to let out a lot of scope. It didn't feel right so I picked up and moved to the other side of the river. It was even deeper! What the heck-- this is a river that's not 50 yds wide, how deep could it be? 
     To make sure the hook was set I backed down.  I looked at the dinghy painter and said to myself I should pull that in. Nah. Two seconds later ...clunk and the engine stopped. Oh no! I looked back and there was the bow of the dinghy looking like it was trying to swim under the boat. Luckily the anchor was holding and there was only one other boat to witness this. I dove over with one of the great knives that Sue bought (Thank you!!!) and cut the line from the shaft. I needed a bath anyway.  
     When I went into the marina and bought diesel from the owner he mentioned bad weather was coming and would I like dock space? I declined.  Then he said "you know you're anchored in 40' of water and you're gonna need alot of scope if it blows the way they say it's gonna. It's a buck a foot, not much."  I said I'd let him know.
     I rowed out to the boat and barely made it with the current. So between that and the storm I thought two nights at 26.00 per night wasn't too bad to save another river disaster. Just for fun I measured the depth to see if was pulling my leg. He wasn't. It was 40' deep. And that's right next to the bank!  Being tied to that dock was a wonderful thing!

All was good.

Waking up in Cape May, pretty cool place but time to get into the mighty Delaware. Motoring through the canal was easy, very little current. At the west end there were three big ferries. Time to head north to the Cohansey. It took 9.75 hrs at an average speed of 3.9 knots. The trip was 39 miles long. It was a very long day!  But at the end, just as the sun was going down, I put the hook down amongst fellow cruisers and all was good.