This isn’t going to be a cruising and relaxing trip. This is a delivery; get the boat and us home as fast and safely as we can. It is late October and there is no time for side trips and fun. I feel rusty, it’s been over 3 years since I have done any long day trips.
On Thursday morning (10/25/19) we slowly departed Chesapeake Boat Basin before dawn with just a little light at 6:40 am. We went very slowly because I was at the helm while Al handle the lines off the dock. It is easier for him to leap aboard than it is for me. Can you believe it? The first time we move this boat anywhere and I am the one behind the wheel. Geez. It was crazy. So we went slowly for the first 20 minutes.
It was pretty choppy south of the Potomac River and we wondered if the stabilizers were actually working for the first two hours. After some investigation of the control panel and a study session with the TRAC manual, Al determined the problem and promptly corrected things. Once the stabilizers were working, it felt much better, but by then we were past the Potomac and the seas settled down.
It became a beautiful day and we were like kids with a new toy, exploring and enjoying everything inside the boat as well as outside. We were also glad we had spent the time yesterday familiarizing ourselves with as much as we could.
We began the day intending to reach Solomons, about a 7-hour day, but everything was going so well that we decided we could push farther. We adjusted our goal and set course for an anchorage at the southern tip of Kent island. As we neared it, we realized we could make it all the way to Lake Ogleton, Annapolis where our friends Frank and Mary Marie live.
Mary Marie and Frank were waiting to welcome us in Lake Ogleton. Frank in the kayak to hand us lines to the mooring and Mary Marie on the dock snapping photos.
A very good first day. We are grateful.
Anthony Baker - Magnolia
Nicely done Kindred Spirit