What a Life!

When George and I set up our post-cancer sailing "schedule" we set aside two full weeks for our DelMarVa peninsula circumnavigation. The trip would take about a week but we scheduled two weeks so that we could work around unfavorable weather. Well, last week was the first week we had set aside and it looked as if there wasn't going to be enough wind to do any sailing at all, let alone around the DelMarVa peninsula. Then, on Tuesday as we were driving over the Choptank River after buying groceries, we saw that the wind had picked up. Even if the wind wasn't expected to last, we could at least get some sailing in. We drove home, quickly put the groceries away, packed up clothes and food for four days and set sail for the Tred Avon River.

We started off with wind just over ten knots and we were traveling at 6-7 knots. Then the wind started to drop and so did our speed. We calculated how long we could wait before turning the motor on and still get anchored before sunset. We arrived at our anchorage, Flatty Cove, just as the sun was setting. There was one boat anchored in the spot that would have been our first choice. We selected another spot, dropped the anchor, and...it didn't hold. Darn! George hauled it up and we tried again in a slightly different location. It still didn't hold. Grrrrrr. Now it was getting quite dark and we had a decision to make, try again on the other side of Flattty Cove or head to a larger anchorage, Trippe Creek, a mile and a half away. We decided on Trippe Creek. I put the engine in high gear and hammered down. There were already eight other boats anchored in Trippe Creek, but it is a large anchorage with plenty of room. Since it was almost dark by the time we got there and I don't have good depth perception at night, George drove to the spot where we wanted to anchor. I then took over at the wheel while he dropped the anchor. This time it held, phew!

Although there wasn't much wind, the weather was just gorgeous. Sunny, cool and low humidity. It was a very comfortable night. The next day was a very relaxing one. In the late afternoon we had our first raft-up with friends, Jim and Martha, who live nearby on the Tred Avon. They stayed for a few hours and we had a lot of fun. The sunset that evening was just stunning.

Jim and Martha heading for home on Quiet Times

Gorgeous Sunset at Trippe Creek

 

The next afternoon we decided to move back to Flatty Cove so that we would be close enough to dinghy into Oxford. We found a spot with good holding and then dinghied over to the hard-to-find free town dinghy dock. We walked over to the Scottish Highland Creamery for some delicious ice cream and then strolled around town. Oxford is a very charming little town, but extremely small. There weren't many people out and about. It seems like many of the residents are weekenders. It made us happy, once again, that we chose Cambridge as our home.

Scottish Highland Creamery

Scottish Highland Creamery

We returned to the boat and decided to try out our new Nettle Net Boat Pool. It was really easy to set up and worked like a charm. We were able to swim without being stung by sea nettles. One rather odd thing happens as the boat swings. The net kind of drags behind the boat and becomes one long, narrow lane rather than a circular pool. It doesn't bother me, though, because it still serves the purpose of keeping the nettles away. Since we expected to swim again the next day we hauled the Nettle Net up onto the swim platform and left it there after we finished swimming.

Nettle Net Before Deployment

Nettles outside the pool!

The next day we again dinghied to Oxford, ate ice cream, walked and went for a swim. What a life!

What a life!

 

George and I feel very fortunate that we enjoy a similar pace and similar activities when we are on the boat. We love being at anchor but enjoy getting off the boat if we are on it for more than a couple of days.

On our last day we waited for the wind to come up in the early afternoon before we began to sail home.

 

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