Cruising the Chesapeake September 2012 I
04 September 2012 | Anchored up the Sassafras River off the Chesapeake Bay, MD
Roland
Cruising the Chesapeake September 2012 I Tuesday, September 04, 2012 Anchored up the Sassafras River off the Chesapeake Bay, MD Water temperature 81 F
We had a 1 to 2 knot current pushing us all day yesterday and we took advantage of it to move the boat 82 miles in 11 hours. We really didn't want to go that far but when we tried to pull off into the Bohemia River it looked too shallow for us. The charts showed 7 foot depth at low tide and we were reading 7 foot depths at plus 2 foot tide. At low tide the depth would be 5 foot and we would be grounded. So we headed back out into the Elk Neck River and proceeded on to the Sassafras River. We are anchored at the same place we anchored in the summer of 2007.
We know we have left the cold, clear water of Maine but we had some experiences yesterday that really confirmed we are sailing in different waters. Coming out of the Cape May Canal into the Delaware Bay we put our nose into cloudy, warm water. The last time we have been in cloudy water was over two years ago when we left the Delaware Bay heading north.
Then as we were motor sailing up the Delaware Bay we had Bottle Nose Dolphins riding our bow wave. We can't remember the last time we saw friendly Bottle Nose Dolphins. There are dolphins in Maine but not Bottle Nose Dolphins and the dolphins in Maine are not particularly friendly. The dolphins in Maine just go about their business without paying any attention to boats going by.
After we were through the C&D Canal and heading down the Elk Neck River, a string of Brown Pelicans flew by. It's also been over two years since we've last seen pelicans. They are big awkward birds but they look so graceful as they soar by in a close formation.
And finally, we had to start dodging crab pots instead of lobster pots.
We traveled in the rain yesterday. At times it poured. At one point when we were in the C&D Canal it was raining so hard we turned on our running lights so approaching boats would see us. We are forecast to get two more days of crappy weather and we are going to stay right where we are.
We needed to get the boat from Maine to the Chesapeake Bay and now we've done that. (576 nautical miles in 26 days) For the next several weeks we have no particular place we need to be. We are back in our laid back cruising mode and plan to enjoy cruising the Chesapeake.