Nelleke's back in Deltaville
19 October 2014
• Deltaville VA
by Mike
This is a very picturesque little community, Reedville, with some large Victorian homes, old farms, fish processing businesses, lining the shore. Our anchorage is secure and the holding good to all appearances since we are sitting here with 30 kn gusts and, other than swinging to our scope, we aren't moving. The weather forecast is for the winds to remain like this until about 1100 and then to start to die down so we are sitting at anchor and waiting to see. Our trip for the day is only about 16 km and we will be entering Broad Creek which is quite shallow so we would prefer to be on a rising tide. Barb has directions, cautions and tricks for making he approach, and the tidal range is only slightly more than a foot, but still the preference is for daylight and a rising tide. Moonlight Maid is like us, unsure of whether they will stay here for the day or set off tomorrow AM. Four other boats who had been with us here in the anchorage have already set off and we have been listening to the radio chatter, some in French, and it doesn't sound like they are having much fun. For us when we leave it will be a broad reach downwind for most of the way and we are planning to only have the #4 jib out so we should be relatively under control and safe.
Last night we had Alan and Heather over for the Q as we posted yesterday and I must say the Admirals on both boats quite outdid themselves. My own humble contribution, other than to serve drinks was to Q the goodies. The crab cakes and roast potatoes were done in the oven so we're beyond my grasp and the bean salad (with artichokes now less) was done aboard Moonlight Maid and transported aboard.
Whooooooeeeee! We decided to go and go we did. Broad reach with No. 4 jib and engine barely idling in 20 kn of wind and once in a while I would see 9 kn on the GPS! That was all well and good until we turned into the Rapahannock River for the last 4 miles at the wind which had been so lovely suddenly was on the nose and we were struggling to make 4.5 kn. When we made the entrance to Broad Creek and turned in we had the directions from one of the staff to stay off the shallow spots and even with them we touched at the entrance due to swell and then pushed through a little mud just as we were getting to the dock. Moonlight Maid wasn't so lucky. They followed us in and stopped to let us get tied up and in so doing they ran softly aground which no amount of motoring, raising and lowering of sails could get them off. They were going to kedge off and since our dingy was easier to launch and recover I rowed over to take the anchor off and then went aboard to help them do the winching. After a fair amount of sweat and straining she was free and after recovering the anchor they too were alongside at the Deltaville Yachting Centre. This marina has a courtesy car so we zoomed off to the local grocery store for something for dinner. Tonight is going to be chilly so we need to get well lubricated.
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