The Lower Chesapeake Bay

 

The Blogmeister

We ended up staying in Solomon Island for three days, waiting for, you guessed it, the weather. The marina, Zahniser's, was very accommodating and had bicycles to loan. We took full advantage of this and went to West Marine twice, dinner, and the Food Lion for groceries. While taking a joy ride, we ran into Scott and Lynne aboard Messenger, a Canadian couple we first met in the canal at Amsterdam, NY.  We found out they were in Annapolis and St Michael's  when we were there.  Marjorie and Jeff aboard Far Niente were also staying here. Small world! We stayed in Solomon Island, repairing an fuel and a water leak in the engine. Our dinghy was patched in Hudson Creek and is holding, but we lost a part to the outboard engine and needed it to be able to attach it to the boat. We met so many helpful people here. One man gave us free advice on engine repair. Then Shannon called a company, trying to find the part for the dinghy engine and the man drove over to the boat, rigged a temporary repair for us and then didn't charge us! Of course, we couldn't let that happen. What nice people. The weather improved so we decided to make a run for Jackson Creek in Deltaville, VA.  The trip to Deltaville took us 10.25 hrs. and we averaged around 6.5 knots, fast for our boat. Of course the winds were right on our nose  At one point, we were called on Channel 16 by the US Navy. They requested that we alter our course as we were headed towards their live fire target area. Our course was Southwest and so was the wind.

Schooner

As we approached the mouth of the Potomac River, the seas became confused and a short chop developed. It reminded us of the way we learned to sail on Oneida Lake. The good news is, the sun was out, no rain. The entry into the Jackson Creek anchorage was pretty tricky and shallow and you really had to keep your eyes on the marks.As we motored through the anchorage, a couple on their boat were yelling to us that they were from Utica, NY. They left before we could get their story.  We dropped anchor and realized we had found yet another gem.

Fiery Sunset-Jackson Creek

After a night on the hook, we decided to call the Fishing Bay Yacht Club. We could see it from the anchorage. We moved to a dock at the club. The price was right. We were given one night free because of our membership at Fair Haven Yacht Club. They give reciprocal nights to any yacht club. Maybe someday one of their members will pass though FHYC.

FBYC

I like this place



Beautiful view



We liked the Yacht Club so much we stayed another night. We used the time to plan our trip to Norfolk. This would mark the end of the Chesapeake Bay. We left early and on the low tide, which made getting out of the shallow channel even more stressful. But Shannon had no problem. We left for Norfolk and anchored in Willoughby Bay, just north of Norfolk. Navy ships are all over this area.

Moon over Willoughby Bay

                                                                                                                                    

Safe Haven

We had reservations at the Tidewater Marina, as thunderstorms were predicted for tonight and tomorrow. We will use this time to make sure we have what we need as we enter the ICW.