Back Creek, Solomon's Island

We awoke to a partly cloudy day -- there was a 50% chance of rain, but we had Kerry & Jennifer arriving and just as long as it wasn't down pouring, we were going to try and sail.

Jack dinghy-ed in to pick up the girls who had arrived separately but on time. After packing the two of them and all there stuff into the dingy, Jack wondered where he was going to sit -- seriously, they had brought a lot of stuff :-)

Once they were aboard and had the mandatory "head" lesson from Sue, dropped off the mooring to go and sail. The wind was out of the SW and variable, averaging about 8 -10 knots. The sailing was good -- we started by taking back and forth across the bay in front of Solomon's but quickly got bored with that and decided to go up the Patuxent.

The Patuxent river is wide (perhaps a mile in the lower reaches) and deep (saw over 90 feet in spots) and is navigable perhaps 30 miles up into the Maryland heartland. Its shores are mostly either residential dwellings (not too many) or natural areas. We got perhaps 5 miles up, mostly by tacking back and forth after sailing under the highway bridge for route 4 (clearance of 150 feet -- high enough for big ships).

The skies were constantly threatening until early afternoon; our persistence paid off however, save for a few minute cloudburst that drove the ladies off the deck and and reduced visibility to perhaps 50 yards, we weren't rained on. The sailing and the conversation were very pleasant -- it was great fun for all of us to catch up on what has been going on in our respective lives, re-live fun family moments and solve the problems of the world :-)

Kerry "chilllin" on deck

Jen and Sue chatting it up

Somewhere in about mid-afternoon, the sun came out and it warmed enough that we all thought a swim was in order. We happened to be close to Leonard creek, a substantial side channel of the Patuxent. We sailed over and found a lovely cove just inside the entrance to drop the hook. Apart from a big house on the point (there always seems to be one on the point) we were surrounded by pristine woodland, a perfect spot to jump in and take a swim.

The house had dogs, one of which was very curious about us -- Jennifer, our resident dog expert, explained to us that his lack of barking, wagging tail and hanging tongue all meant he wanted to come an play with us in the water. The house was set on a bluff that was steep and heavily overgrown -- we all found watching our canine friend probing the shrubbery for a way down to the water's edge very entertaining -- sadly, he never made it so we never got to meet him up close and personal.

The afternoon remained sunny and we really were enjoying the swimming but eventually it became time for us to move on. We "weighed" the anchor, motored our way back to our mooring in Solomon's and dinghy-ed in the Marina for dinner.

C'mon Jen, you have to get in !

Mugging for the camera

Dinner was at the "Dry Dock", which has become our favorite spot in Solomon's -- it has a deck that overlooks the marina, providing a nice nautical (and cool) environment for a dinner of what is generally excellent food. Sue and I had been here a few times, including once on a previous sailing trip with some good friends -- all in all, we highly recommend the place (it's a bit pricey but worth it).

An after dinner photo-op !

By the time we got back to the boat after dinner, we were all pretty bushed from the day's activities -- so it was off to bed. Kerry and Jennifer both opted to sleep on deck; about 2am a squall came through and drove them below where they spent the rest of what turned out to be a restful night.