It took us a couple of days to get the boat back together after Hurricane Sandy, which also gave time to bid our farewells to Mike and Marguerite. We can't thank them enough for their generous hospitality and help, not to mention the use of their home and car. We shall retain fond memories of Saltworks Creek and Epping Forest and all the kind folk who live there. Setting off soon after sunrise, we looked back for the last time on the golden leaves of the trees lit up in the beautiful morning light. We were setting out for Washington, which would entail a long haul of about 70 miles down the Chesapeake Bay and 100 miles back up the Potomac River. Although it's only about 30 miles from Annapolis by car or train, there's something special about arriving in your own boat into the heart of a great city; and besides, we wanted to stay several days and didn't fancy commuting or staying in a hotel.

We anchored that evening at Solomons and turned in early in anticipation of another early start. Next day was cold and overcast, with a gusty north-westerly wind to blow us down the Bay, past the delightfully named "Point No Point" lighthouse and onwards to the mouth of the Potomac. A few miles up, we picked up the outer red "nun" buoy marking the mouth of the Coan River, a small tributary. We'd arranged to meet up with Mike and Helen, fellow members of the Chichester Cruiser Racing Club, who have a piece of land with a jetty some six miles up the river. Mike had sent us detailed navigational instructions, which was just as well as the river was shallow and meandering, marked by buoys only as far as a shellfish depot about half way up. We were about to congratulate ourselves on getting all the way up without incident, only to run aground gently whilst taking too wide a turn into their dock! We got off with a few extra engine revs and wiggling of the rudder, and made fast alongside. It was great to see the beautiful spot that Mike and Helen have made their second home, and it gave us the opportunity to entertain them to supper on board and return the charts and pilot books they had lent us. Their own boat had just been laid up ashore at a boatyard for the winter, prior to their return to England.

We cast off at dawn; it was bitterly cold with a light frost on the decks, and we motored down the Coan trying to warm ourselves with porridge, hot toast and tea for breakfast. Out in the Potomac we hoisted the sails and headed upstream with a stiff north-easterly on the beam. We sailed under a clear blue sky with only a couple of fishing boats to share the broad expanse of the river. Half way up, as the river turned to port above the Harry W. Nice Bridge, we turned off to starboard into a shallow bay and anchored for the night at the mouth of Port Tobacco River. It was sleeting gently as we set off next morning, with one reef in the main and several rolls in the genoa. We were on the edge of a massive "norther", one of the vicious storms that often strike the eastern seaboard during autumn and winter. We had to motor-sail and short-tack much of the way to maintain progress as the river turned into the teeth of the bitter wind. We passed Indy Plus and Matador heading the other way - it's funny how it seems to be only the British who are still sailing here at this time of year! Ten miles from the city, we spotted George Washington's home Mount Vernon, high on the bank to port. Further up, we encountered a lot of debris from storm damaged trees floating down river which required a sharp look-out. Once through the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge at Alexandria we headed for the dome of the Capitol while helicopters overtook us to starboard and planes landed to port. We were relieved when we reached our destination just before dusk.

We anchored in the Washington Cut, a branch of the Potomac, and over our bows we could see the Washington Monument lit up brightly against the gloomy evening sky. Mark and Sue of "Macushla" dropped by for a cup of tea and filled us in on the local facilities. Next to us was Gangplank Marina, filled mainly with live-aboard boats, which for $10 per day would provide a secure dinghy dock, showers and laundry facilities. A bus stop, metro station and supermarket were about 5 minutes walk away, and the National Mall about 15 minutes. After a good nights sleep we pumped up the dinghy and were ready for our assault on Washington.