After the "Summer of Our Discontent" due to so little wind for sailing, we've been making up for lost ground this fall. We left Baltimore yesterday around 10am. Starting around 2 pm, we had winds between 20 and 30 knots (23 to 35 mph!) all the way down the Chesapeake Bay, from Annapolis to Norfolk! We wound up flying our jib, a wee handkerchief of a sail, for 18 hours straight! There was a small craft warning in effect, but Options was in her element: flying downwind with two hulls for stability and a big autopilot for control

With that much wind, you get some interesting effects. At first, with the wind coming at us from an angle, we got whacked by the waves. From inside the boat, it sounded and felt like little bombs going off. From outside, the wind was so noisy, you felt the waves rather than heard them. Once the waves lined up a little better with our course, we surfed down the larger ones. As the wind continued to blow, it started moving the water south as well. So not only did we have 20+ knots of winds to send us flying, but we were riding on a moving carpet that added one to three knots of extra speed.

An hour after sunset, it was pitch black, with clouds overhead and no moon yet. The only source of light was the distant glow of the Washington, D.C. metroplex. At 10 pm, the stars came out in wonderful abundance and the moon joined the show about an hour later but, alas, more clouds rolled in before midnight. The only significant source of light remaining was a periodic flash of light over the southern horizon. As we approached Point Lookout at the mouth of the Potomac River, the flashing turned out to be the warning beacon at Brown Point.

Tim took over the night watch shortly after. I went to bed only to discover how cold I was, in spite of two shirts and two layers of fleece. The motion inside our cabin felt like a toboggan negotiating an endless slalom course. Brooke helped me warm up and get to sleep…no, not THAT way--get your mind out of the gutter!. I awoke around 6 am to the sound of heavy rain. I decided to get dressed and lend a hand, as well as place a bowl under our recurring leak. I found poor Ryann (Tim's daughter) wet, cold and shivering at the helm. She was more than ready to call it a night. Tim had been sleeping in the cockpit when the rain sprang its surprise attack. He was equally cold and wet.

As the sun rose, I was amazed to find the strong winds still at work. Apparently, we caught the big winds up north as they formed and rode them all the way south as they filled in. Our timing was flawless! As usual, I will take all the credit for anything that goes right.

We arrived at Ocean Marine Yacht Center in Portsmouth, VA at 9:30 am, a good 4-6 hours earlier than expected, with plenty of time to tie up before the next rain storm blew through. Next up: The StL Cardinals are hosting the Washington Nationals at for Game 1 of the playoffs. Go Cards!

David

P.S. The picture is of the sunset over the western shore of the Chesapeake near Solomon's Island. Pictures never do justice to the size of the waves!