Shaking Off Old Man Winter

When early March rolled around a few weeks ago (now just over a month ago, failed to post this then), many thought it was nearer May or June.  In. D.C. people pulled their shorts and flip flops out of storage.  We can all agree this has been a mild winter for us here in the mid-Atlantic region.  For me this was a time to dust off the boat and get her ready for the season.  Rigging the sails, flushing out the freshwater antifreeze and giving the boat a good scrub was most of what was needed.  At this same time I received notice that my slip was up for renewal at the marina I was berthed at in Ft. Washington, MD.  This proved timely for me; 1 as I consider moving back to Florida and 2 I want to get some good Chesapeake sailing under my belt.

So April fools weekend, myself and my crew set out at midnight Friday on the long motor down the Potomac (we were unable to beat the receding tide after work and thus had to wait for it to rise again).  The Potomac is fun if you are entertaining people in the DC area, however, if you're looking to sail, its not the place for you (or me).  Much to our delight (snicker) Father Winter decided to accompany us down to the Chesapeake with temperatures down into the lower 40's and upper 30's.

Once we reached the Bay, we made the choice to head to Smith Island... the little community responsible for those wonderful little Smith Island cakes.  By the point we approached the Bay the breeze had freshened up quite a bit and we were making good time under sail.  Unfortunately, the seas in the bay had had some time to build and we were close hauled into the wind (which now increased to a steady 20kts) with seas abeam. 

After getting tossed about for 4 hours we reached the Island... desolate as they were still out of season (predictable).  We tied up at the Smith Island Marina (6slips, very friendly people errr person) and ventured about town.

The next morning (Sunday) we awoke to another chilly day.  During breakfast the church bell rang signalling those on the island that mass was about to begin.  Interestingly enough there are 3 or 4 churches in this small community.  After stowing all the bedding and getting the Mischief ship shape, we shoved off to cross the Chesapeake to the Patuxent River (referred to locally as the Pax) and Solomons Island.

On the bumpy crossing over we had noticed a ship that appeared on the radar, and through the mist, that didn't appear to be underway.  Needless to say we gave it a wide berth.  Now that the Bay was calm and the weather sunny, we plotted a course that brought us much closer.  We had come across the USNS American Mariner, a Liberty Ship of the 40's that was re-tasked as a missile and rocket tracking ship during the 50's and 60's before being scuttled in about 20' of water for naval target practice.

(USNS American Mariner is on right, with a much larger container ship passing about another mile further away)

We were a bit disappointed that there wasn't much wind to be had so most of the trip back across the bay was done under power and autopilot, keeping a watchful eye out for crab pots lest we pick up 200 pounds of gear with the prop.  Once the mouth of the Pax river was reached were able to raise sail and join the other sailboats that had come out for the afternoon.

On arrival to Spring Cove Marina, I wished I had discovered it a year prior.  Friendly people, decent slips, wonderful amenities and very clean.  Really, it appears that all of the marinas in this area have these characteristics, but I was happy with my choice.

Stay tuned... spring maintenance haul out will commence soon! (I promise to be a little more timely with my posts here on out).

Happy sailing!