September 20, 2019 Friday

We took our time getting up and didn't pull anchor until eleven in the morning and by then we had to fight a south-west breeze and the flood tide to get down the Elk River and make our way down to the Sassafras River. High pressure had moved in and the days were full of warm sunshine and the evenings had calm breezes and lots of stars.

The Sassafras River is maybe the loveliest river on the Chesapeake. The few homes along the shoreline tend to be beautiful estates, the rest of the shore line is lined with towering hardwood trees. There are many coves and small creeks to explore along the river and unlimited places to anchor.

Upon coming in the river, we said hello to the sailboat ISail2.0 that was anchored in the first bay on the river and we continued up the river to Georgetown, feasting on the scenery of the river. The red bricked Mount Harmon Plantation Manor House stood high on the hill above Back Creek looking down on the river as it did when it was built centuries ago. We had visited the plantation years ago and enjoyed learning about the history of the area.

At Georgetown, the marina there allowed us to tie up to the main dock for free, it was a rather tight fit getting in but with no wind or current we managed to tie up looking like we knew what we were doing. We strolled up the hill to the restaurant.

The restaurant, The Kitty Knight House, has a new outdoor bar overlooking the river below where Mike enjoyed a beer or two and Sharon had a cocktail as we enjoyed the view. Folklore has it that when the British destroyed Georgetown in war of 1812 Kitty Knight, through considerable charm, managed to convince the British Commander not to destroy her house.

Late in the afternoon we worked our way back down the hill and with the help of a sailor on the dock managed to get Monarch off safely and we had another lovely ride back down the river while Sharon baked fresh bread.

We anchored near ISail2.0 so Norman and Marguerite could come over and we could return the hospitality of hosting a happy hour. We all had a really nice visit and learned more about each other's lives on a level deeper than the sailing stuff. They have led interesting lives and Norman told us about his many travels in South America and about the fine wines there that Sharon has been learning about.

After our company returned to their boat, we enjoyed the fresh baked bread and breakfast for dinner in the cockpit while watching the sun set pink in the west followed by a clear starlight night. Loads of ducks flew back and forth across the river and the sounds of many more ducks settled for the night in the nearby Lloyd Creek.