Beyond the Choptank

This past weekend we cruised beyond the Choptank River and out into the Chesapeake for the first time since our delivery trip two months ago. The winds were very light when we started out Friday afternoon so we planned to go only as far as the lovely LaTrappe Creek, seven nautical miles from Cambridge, for the first night. It took us a few hours to get there and anchor the boat. At times we were sailing at speeds between one and two knots. We were sailing, though, so what could be wrong with that?

We were in a beautiful, peaceful anchorage and had a restful night's sleep. On Saturday we weighed the anchor and started out for the Chesapeake and the Little Choptank River. We sailed, motor-sailed and then motored into the Little Choptank River. We chose to anchor in the first anchorage we found in Hudson Creek since the winds were predicted to be light again on Sunday. It was another beautiful, peaceful anchorage and we enjoyed our time there.

When we started our short cruising trips we decided we would avoid the weekends. Since we are retired we have the option of going out during the week and can avoid the weekend crowds. We have found, though, that our schedules and the weather can make it difficult to sail during the week. So, we amended our plan and decided to go ahead and try the weekend if that appears to be the best option. This past weekend turned out to be just fine and we are so glad we went.

By the time we got up on Sunday the weather forecast had changed and was now predicting a chance of rain. Since any chance of thunderstorms was slight we left the anchorage anyway and started to head for Cambridge. As we entered the Choptank, I could see on the chart plotter a relatively shallow area in the middle of the river that I imagine James Michener used as inspiration for Devon Island in his book, Chesapeake.

The boat shape is Breeze On just past "Devon".

There is no longer an island there (not entirely sure there was ever an island there), but it is fun to imagine it.

As we approached Cambridge some rain storm started developing on each side of the river. They didn't look serious so we decided to proceed on. At one point they merged and stretched across the river.

We did get wet but there was no significant wind. We furled the jib and dropped the main sail, anyway, just in case.

All in all, the weekend was a success. We are both enjoying the cruising more and more as we progress in the learning curve and look forward to even more cruising trips.

 

 

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