Phase 1 complete...

The first phase of our cruising is complete. We've gotten from Maine to the Chesapeake Bay. We're on the town wall in Rock Hall, MD on the eastern shore. Bonus points if you can see Dylan's eyes looking at me while I took the picture.

We'd like to stay here for a couple of days if possible. Karen and I are being interviewed on the Radio Nor'easter show on Thursday (WCTR radio). If we can stay here until then, we can talk live in the studio instead of by phone. They'll be streaming the show live from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at:
http://www.mainstreamnetwork.com/listen/player.asp?station=wctr-am

Rock Hall is a real fishing village. It is dominated by a handful of marinas with many boats of all sizes. Entering the harbor was a bit tricky - we had to get used to 7 and 8 feet of water again, something that's always uncomfortable for our 6 foot draft vessel.

After two weeks of cruising, this is the first night that we're tied up to a dock. We've only been on the anchor since we left. It was nice to turn off all of the electronics and sleep without wondering if there would be a problem with shifting currents or wind.

We've been carefully watching our water use since we left. Obtaining water in the lower Bahamas and Cuba will be difficult. It was the reason behind the 2 week project of putting in the salt water washdown into the bow of the boat for cleaning the anchor and chain. Our results have been spectacular. As of this morning we still have between 1/2 and 3/4 of our tank filled with water. This means we can probably go about a month without finding a water source. Water in the Bahamas costs about $0.40/gallon and we have no idea if water is even available in Cuba. What this really means is that we don't need a watermaker for now.

Sometimes the Stars Align

Since our fateful overnight, we have fared most nicely. Luck has been with us, each day working out as it should. Even the five days we were "stuck" in Northport were pleasant. There was a nice little town and the beach for the dogs. They loved that - they also love their supper which they had to get while underway because of the long day today.

It turned out that by taking that overnight hop from Castine to Cuttyhunk, we easily dodged any possible problems from Hurricane Bill, ran through Hell Gate on the East River with favorable current, and today were able to position ourselves behind Reedy Island which is near the C&D Canal allowing us to get to the Chesapeake Bay tomorrow. By moving today we escaped days of rough seas, beginning tonight, that would probably have stranded us in Atlantic City for some time.

So I'm wondering, were the 10 hours of feeling seasick that night worth the "luck" we're experiencing now? It's easy to downplay that experience when the sun is shining and the seas are calm. It's also the sort of lapse of memory that can lead us to poor decisions. For now, I'll enjoy our luck and remind Dylan, the Celtic god of the waves, that we did name our puppy after him. Oh, and I'll keep my seasick medicine close.