Cruising the Chesapeake October 2012 III Tuesday, October 30, 2012 Wayward Wind at a dock on Back Creek, Annapolis, Maryland Water temperature 61 F

Sandy has come and gone and we had no damage and are still floating. The dock at Blue Heron Marina is protected by hills and trees on both sides of the creek that blocked much of the wind and we had no wave action at all. It was a bit exciting around 9 PM when the wind gusts were the strongest. The boat was heeling over and shaking in the gusts. We were tied securely with double lines everywhere but I still worried we might break loose. I put on my foulies and boots and went on deck to make some adjustments to a few lines and inspected all the rest. Finding no signs of chafe I went back below in a more relaxed state. By 11 PM the worst of the wind gusts were past and things started calming down. We woke up this AM to light wind and drizzling rain. We never lost power during the storm and had no storm surge.

The boat is ready to go on the hard now. We worked the last month on taking our stuff off the boat, cleaning compartments, waxing and varnishing. We are still living on the boat but when she comes out of the water we will move into a motel for the last few days of boat projects. So our days of living aboard the sailing vessel Wayward Wind are coming to a close. It's funny that some of our last days aboard were riding out another storm.

2007 Rode out Noel at Hospital Point, Portsmouth, VA 2008 Rode out Hanna at Cape Porpoise, ME Rode out Kyle at Gales Ferry, CT 2010 Rode out Earl at Shelburne, NS 2011 Rode out Irene in Casco Bay, ME 2012 Rode out Sandy at Annapolis, MD

Cruising the Chesapeake October 2012 II Sunday, October 07, 2012 Wayward Wind at a dock on Back Creek, Annapolis, Maryland Water temperature 68 F

When we pulled the dinghy out of the water last week the entire bottom was covered with a thick scum and had small barnacles growing on it. It had been in the water for a little less than a month and we were really surprised at the amount of growth it had accumulated. We scrubbed for over an hour getting the bottom of the dinghy clean before we folded it up and stowed it on deck. I had not planed on an hour delay and wanted to get going but if we had let the scum dry out it would have taken dynamite to get it off.

With our dinghy bottom clean, we had a nice motor boat ride to Annapolis. We stopped for fuel on the way and topped off both tanks so they would be full over the winter. A full tank does not breathe and collect water the way a partly empty tank does. Bugs grow in the water in a diesel tank and that's what plugs up the filters. So, no water equals no bugs and no plugged up fuel filters.

After fueling, we proceeded back Back Creek. Back Creek is narrow and twisty and every inch of the shore line is lined with marinas. Plus, boats are anchored in the middle of the creek. There are a couple of places where it is not obvious how to get through the maze to continue up the creek. We took it slow and with some zigging and zagging got through the maze. We found our slip in the Blue Heron Marina and backed Wayward Wind into the slip.

On Wednesday we rode Amtrak from Friendship Airport (BWI) to Wells, ME to retrieve our van and trailer. Son Glenn was waiting for us at the station and went with us to the Fryeburg Fair the next day. We had been to the Fryeburg Fair some years before and were looking forward to a repeat visit. It was a drizzly day when we went to the fair but that held the crowds down and we were able to drive right up and park a five minute walk from the entrance instead of the stop and go traffic jam followed by a twenty minute walk we would have had on a sunny day.

We had a good time at the fair and I didn't buy a Kubota tractor but was tempted. And then there was a portable saw mill I could have pulled back into the woods with the Kubota and the very nice camper trailer we could have slept in while turning the woods into lumber. But I kept my wallet in my pocket and the woods survived.

We are now back in Annapolis with our van and trailer and are in the process of moving all of our stuff off of the boat and packing it in the trailer. Once we get the boat emptied out, we will start cleaning all the nooks and crannies we haven't seen for five years. We are sure to have some surprises as we find things we had forgotten that were on-board.

Cruising the Chesapeake September 2012 IX Monday, October 01, 2012 Anchored in the Rhode River off the Chesapeake Bay, MD Water temperature 70 F

For the last three days we have been anchored in the Rhode River attending the Seven Seas Cruising Association Annual GAM. It was a good place to wrap-up our five year cruising adventure. We visited with cruisers we have met over the years and met new ones. Nigel Calder was one of the speakers and Evans on S/V Hawk is anchored a hundred yards away. By Saturday night there were sixty boats anchored here and when the dinner and awards ceremony was over; sixty dinghies leaving the dock in the dark was a sight to see.

The GAM wrapped up by noon on Sunday and we spent a quiet afternoon on board. Last night was our last night at anchor on S/V Wayward Wind. It rained off and on in the night but it didn't blow hard and it was a quiet night at anchor. We will miss quiet nights at anchor. Today we stow the dinghy on board and then make a short ten mile trip north to a dock in Annapolis. We'll be working on the boat for the next month at the dock before we get hauled.