We got up early (6:30am) to make the 40 mile/8 hour or so run to Solomon's Island -- the conditions were not ideal -- there is a building 10-15 knot SW breeze (basically on our nose, no surprise there) and 1-2' chop and the day is young -- one can only wonder what things will be like later in the day. But the forecast still says there will be a cold front coming through tonight that will cause Thunderstorms and rain tomorrow, so today still sounds like the better day to travel -- so we decide to stick with our plan and go for it.
By the time we had breakfast and raised the anchor, it's 7:30 or so. The good news is that we had the current with us, at least for the morning -- this meant we could motor pretty consistently in the 5.5-6.5 range, a real benefit. Of course, it also means that eventually would turn on us and be a deficit. Given our departure time and the turn of the tide, we'd get the benefit for the first 5 hours or so and "pay the piper" the last 3 hours or so.
Sure enough, that's pretty much what happened -- the trip took about 8 hours, the tide turned about midday and the last few hours were a very frustrating slog through much higher seas (3-4 feet I'd day) and winds (frequent gusts in the low 20's) at much lower speeds (I saw high 2's occasionally, but mostly in the high 3's and low 4's). Decent planning gave us a good idea of what to expect but it doesn't really help much to know you are going to be slogging when you actually end up slogging :-)
One notable incident on the trip was this freighter that passed us -- it was moving fast and, as it turns out, we had chosen a "tween the markers" course that pretty much put us in its way (it was using the same deep water markers as we were). Sue was at the helm when it loomed over the horizon and we she quickly changed course to move us out of its way. Sue also thought she saw a large Sting Ray on the surface -- it was here and gone in a flash, so no pictures were possible.
The entrance to Solomon's Island harbor is wide and easy to navigate ; inside is a small harbor and two substantial creeks; "Back" creek is mostly commercial and is closer to the main shopping highway; Mill creek is largely residential and a further from the shopping. We planned do some walking/shopping tomorrow, so our initial thought was to anchor out in back creek -- once we saw how commercial it was, we decided to opt for the serenity but longer dinghy ride that Mill Creek offered.
We dropped the hook in a small cove off a pretty point with a house that also had an Osprey nest on a stake a short distance offshore. A refreshing swim, some "sundowners", a light dinner and some quiet time to "shake off" the trip rounded out the day -- well, almost.
As I mentioned earlier, a cold front was due to come through that evening -- sometimes a cold front can cause very gusty winds and severe thunderstorms -- gusts greater than about 30 knots and/or severe thunderstorms have the potential to break the anchor's grip on the bottom, so it pays to be vigilant when they arrive.
Sue was tired and went to bed at about 8:30, about the same time I could see the front approaching in the distant evening sky -- there was quite a "light show" of cloud to cloud lightening, some of it quite spectacular, but no bolts that hit ground; what thunder occurred was very muted and distant. The light show went on for the next couple of hours; eventually, the wind shifted west and the air cooled slightly, the front had passed us by with little to no drama, a good thing.
By the time we had breakfast and raised the anchor, it's 7:30 or so. The good news is that we had the current with us, at least for the morning -- this meant we could motor pretty consistently in the 5.5-6.5 range, a real benefit. Of course, it also means that eventually would turn on us and be a deficit. Given our departure time and the turn of the tide, we'd get the benefit for the first 5 hours or so and "pay the piper" the last 3 hours or so.
Sure enough, that's pretty much what happened -- the trip took about 8 hours, the tide turned about midday and the last few hours were a very frustrating slog through much higher seas (3-4 feet I'd day) and winds (frequent gusts in the low 20's) at much lower speeds (I saw high 2's occasionally, but mostly in the high 3's and low 4's). Decent planning gave us a good idea of what to expect but it doesn't really help much to know you are going to be slogging when you actually end up slogging :-)
One notable incident on the trip was this freighter that passed us -- it was moving fast and, as it turns out, we had chosen a "tween the markers" course that pretty much put us in its way (it was using the same deep water markers as we were). Sue was at the helm when it loomed over the horizon and we she quickly changed course to move us out of its way. Sue also thought she saw a large Sting Ray on the surface -- it was here and gone in a flash, so no pictures were possible.
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| The freighter as it approaches us -- note the bow wave, it isclose and moving fast !!! |
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| A closer look at the bow wave -- it was spraying up in quite a torrent. |
The entrance to Solomon's Island harbor is wide and easy to navigate ; inside is a small harbor and two substantial creeks; "Back" creek is mostly commercial and is closer to the main shopping highway; Mill creek is largely residential and a further from the shopping. We planned do some walking/shopping tomorrow, so our initial thought was to anchor out in back creek -- once we saw how commercial it was, we decided to opt for the serenity but longer dinghy ride that Mill Creek offered.
We dropped the hook in a small cove off a pretty point with a house that also had an Osprey nest on a stake a short distance offshore. A refreshing swim, some "sundowners", a light dinner and some quiet time to "shake off" the trip rounded out the day -- well, almost.
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| Mr. & Mrs. osprey & thier offspring; the house on the point (with a workman) in the background |
As I mentioned earlier, a cold front was due to come through that evening -- sometimes a cold front can cause very gusty winds and severe thunderstorms -- gusts greater than about 30 knots and/or severe thunderstorms have the potential to break the anchor's grip on the bottom, so it pays to be vigilant when they arrive.
Sue was tired and went to bed at about 8:30, about the same time I could see the front approaching in the distant evening sky -- there was quite a "light show" of cloud to cloud lightening, some of it quite spectacular, but no bolts that hit ground; what thunder occurred was very muted and distant. The light show went on for the next couple of hours; eventually, the wind shifted west and the air cooled slightly, the front had passed us by with little to no drama, a good thing.
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