They say that sailing is 99% boredom and 1% panic; I beg to differ. There is very little boring about sailing/cruising; monotonous at times perhaps but there's always something to watch or adjust or fix or clean.

As posted yesterday, we had a superb day at Fairlee. The night was completely still and we were so far from the other anchored boats that we could have dragged a long ways before we'd have problems. Our destination today is/was Annapolis, one of the sailing Mecca's of North America and the pinnacle of this is right now when the famed Boat Show is on.

We leave Fairlee shortly after 8:00 for the short, 25 mile or so trip. Not long after we leave the wind and waves pick up. Like our cherished Grand Lake, Chesapeake Bay is susceptible to a steep chop when the wind blows up or down the Bay and the tide is in opposition (one works against the other and sets up close, steep and choppy waves). It was not scary but it was uncomfortable today as the boat was pitching in the seas and every so often, the bow would slam down into a trough and make quite a din. Our forward speed, despite having the engine at three quarters throttle, was reduced to around 5 knots. Judy steered much of the day and I navigated. Despite the size of Chesapeake Bay about 200 miles long and 35 miles wide at the widest, it is very shallow. So the waves build.

Anyway, we are in the company of many Canadian sailboats including a Tanzer 26 out of Ontario. We go under a huge bridge then towards Annapolis. There are so many creeks, rivers, marinas etc. that it is almost overwhelming. Anyway we figure on going into Back Creek as recommended by friends. We wend our way into this amazingly congested creek and pass several boats we have met or seen in the last while and find a spot just past Gary and Janet (referenced earlier in one of our Staten Island blogs). The wind is very gusty and while there is enough room it's scary. Our anchor bites and we nervously settle down. Not long after we settle, we see a largish (50 footer) sailboat which was ahead of us, drag anchor to our starboard side, heading for boats tied up in a marina. No one is on board. I get in our dinghy and bring a fender (an inflatable cushion intended to buffer any contact between a boat an anything else. This helps but the boat keeps moving towards various docked boats again with no one aboard. I elicit the help of a couple of guys on a Hunter 40, Island Girl, from Quebec (Lake Champlain) and we push, tug, and otherwise manhandle this large craft so it is secured alongside a slip. What a chore but we would have been glad if someone would extend the same courtesy to us in a similar situation.

Despite considering the creek absolutely full, boats keep coming in to anchor and we understand it gets worse closer to the weekend.

We renew our acquaintance with Bob and Connie on Meredith and understand that various of the other folks we met serendipitously are around. We will not stray from Sea Sharp tonight as the winds are still brisk but we look forward to the hubbub over the next few days.