DC-bound

Notwithstanding my conjecture that we'd still be in Chesapeake City Monday night, this morning found us anchored at the mouth of Worton Creek, on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay (map). We awoke Monday morning to a gorgeous day, with an improving forecast, and we opted to get underway on the last of the ebb.

That meant a quick trip to Enterprise to get the car back, which I undertook alone so that Louise could remain aboard, secure everything, and single up lines. I managed to get the car back well before 9am, and shared a ride back to Chesapeake City with a long-time resident who formerly owned the Ship Watch Inn across the channel from us.

Before I left with the car we were passed by a conga line of Krogens (a 52, a 42, and a 58), presumably headed to the Krogen rendezvous in Solomons this week. I'd guess they had ridden the storm out just up the canal from us at Summit North, in our hailing port of Bear. Now they were making tracks. Just before we let go lines, the three sailboats that had sequestered at the town dock across the way also left, so we were at the tail end of a mini-exodus.

Even with the last-minute departure decision and the scramble to fuel and return the rental car, we were under way just after 9am and had a nice push all the way out of the canal and down the Elk River. The Worton Creek stop was familiar to us from our last northbound transit, and we dropped the hook just at the turn of the tide in nearly flat-calm water. We made a full dinner out of the leftovers we had brought home from Baker's.


Sunset over the Baltimore area from our cozy spot on Worton Creek.

While the Chesapeake was a bit choppy yesterday, at least until we rounded the corner into Worton Creek, by sunset it was glass calm all the way across, and today it's just a ripple. As I type we are under way, just passing the eastern spans of the Bay Bridge. To our port is the Bay Bridge Marina, where we can see some of the boats that came in for the ill-fated Trawler Fest show. Across the bay I can see Annapolis, where we'd normally stop on a transit of this part of the bay.

As much as we'd like to take it slowly and spend a day there and at some of the other lovely stops along here, we'd rather arrive in DC a bit ahead of schedule, which will give us a bit more time together there before Louise flies off to Houston for her quilt conference. Pressing on now will ensure that we are off the Chesapeake and the wide-open lower Potomac before any more weather moves in; long-time readers may recall that one of our roughest passages ever was here on the Chesapeake and up the Potomac to the Yeocomico.

This afternoon we should be anchored just south of Kent Island (map). Tomorrow morning we will again leave with the tide and should be in Solomons or nearby on the Patuxent tomorrow afternoon.