Annapolis

Wednesday, August 10:  We woke at 6 am to a sunny, pleasant, calm morning in Chesapeake City.  The weatherman is calling for winds W at 10 to 15 kt, with gusts to 20.  If this pans out, we will have a fine sail on a starboard reach down the Bay to Annapolis.

We dropped lines at 7 am and turned back into the C&D canal.  We had three miles to go to the end of the canal and the current was running slightly against us.  So, our boat speed over the bottom was about 5.5 kt.  Soon, we were out of the canal and into the Elk river.  We passed an Army ship, headed the other way, but there wasn’t much other commercial traffic.

Then, the wind started to pipe up as forecast and we raise our sails on a starboard beat.  Now, the current is in our favor.  We had to tack back and forth until we got more out into the main part of the Bay, then we were able to stay close hauled on starboard tack and head directly for the Bay Bridge in Annapolis.

By now, the wind had piped up to a steady 25 kt apparent and heavy spray was frequently crashing over the foredeck and drenching us in the cockpit.  Occasionally, we even got some green water on the foredeck and the wind blew it right onto us, as though we weren’t already wet enough!   But, hey, we were going 9.5 kt over the bottom and the sailing was exhilarating!  It was one of the best sailing days I have ever experienced.

We continued this for over an hour, then we were able to bear off slightly onto a close reach.  The boat responded by going even faster – 9.7 kt, 9.8 kt!  There was one gust to 30 kt that got our speed up to 10.2 kt!!!

Bottlenose loved this kind of wind.  We never had to reef.  We did let the mainsail traveler down a little to counteract weather helm, when the wind was above 25 kt, but that was it.  The boat just took it in stride.

We arrived in Annapolis mid-day and took mooring ball number 1 in Spa Creek, right next to “Ego Alley.”  MerSea arrived about a half-hour later and took the mooring right next to ours.

After lunch aboard and an afternoon of relaxation, we dinghyed ashore to Pusser’s for Painkillers and Bushwackers on their dockside tables overlooking the harbor and the Naval Academy.  By now, it was approaching dinnertime, so we dinghyed across Spa Creek to East Port and had dinner at the Boatyard Bar & Grill.

Back at the boat, the evening was cool and quiet.  We slept well.