Back in Hampton Roads

As we approached the end of our one-month contract at Anchorage Marina, the Captain decided it was time to check Lazy W’s engines.  Both engines started right up but within seconds the port engine sputtered and conked out.  The Captain headed down into the engine room for some quality troubleshooting time.  The problem was diagnosed and remedied by a day’s-worth of rebuilding the filter housing on both engines.  We were ready to go.

Natty Boh looks out over the Baltimore Harbor from his perch on Brewer’s Hill

 as Lazy W heads for the Chesapeake Bay.

The weather for our departure was much more favorable than the weather that greeted our arrival on September 12^th.  Overcast skies gave way to sunshine on October 14^th, the Captain’s birthday.  We cast off our lines and headed out the Patapsco River hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the schooners scheduled to arrive at the nearby Baltimore Marine Center for Thursday’s start of the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race.  We didn’t cross paths with any of the schooners while on our 44-mile cruise to an anchorage on the West River, south of Annapolis.  But we did see several cargo ships like this one plying the water on the Chesapeake Bay.

To say that the Chesapeake Bay was calm would be an understatement.  The ‘waves’ were more like ripples and we were happy to be out on the bay on such a beautiful fall day. 

The anchorage near Galesville was also calm – so calm that night that we hardly felt like we were on the water.  There were no waves slapping the hull to keep us awake and on alert.  The only noise came from a raucous flock of ducks that landed just off Lazy W’s bow – what a cacophony of honking and squawking they made as they touched down in the dark.

Solomons with the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge in the background

The next day we arrived in Solomons.  As we made our way up Mill Creek past the docked LNG tugs, a beautiful bald eagle soared overhead.  Since our preferred anchoring spot was already filled with several sailboats and a trawler, we continued a bit further and dropped anchor in front of this house near Brooks Cove – the exact same spot where we anchored two years ago.  Our pictures of both visits are nearly identical – right down to the colors of the foliage!  

Near Brooks Cove on Mill Creek

Leaving Solomons, Lazy W was caught in the southbound ‘Snow Bird’ migration of sailboats, many flying the Canadian Maple Leaf.  Sailboats ahead of us, sailboats behind...

Sailboats ahead of us leaving Solomons on a dreary Tuesday morning

After 44-miles of smooth cruising (even crossing the mouth of the Potomac River!) we dropped anchor in another Mill Creek – this one off the Great Wicomico River across Ingram Bay from Reedville.  (It was a quiet, fresh-smelling day in Reedville with no sign of the menhaden fishing fleet and no hint of menhaden cooking in the nearby processing plant.)  The anchorage was a popular one that evening; we shared it with eight sailboats and three trawlers.  And what a peaceful, calm anchorage it was!

Clouds reflected in the calm water of Mill Creek

A few of our neighbors for the night in Mill Creek

Patti and Alan were hosting the annual Crabtoberfest at their cabin on Hills Creek off the Corrotoman River.  Not ones to pass up a party invitation, we pointed Lazy W towards Yankee Point Marina where Bernie and Carol were working on their sailboat, Cat’s Cradle.  Once the Sutton’s Whaler was launched we had use of their pickup truck for the rest of the weekend, eliminating the need to anchor Lazy W off the creek in order to attend Crabtoberfest.  Thanks Patti and Alan!

A peaceful morning at Yankee Point Marina

Lazy W at rest in Yankee Point Marina

Crabtoberfest was great!  Joe steamed bushels of crabs and heaps of shrimp for everyone to enjoy.  For the more adventuresome eaters there were steamed and raw oysters.  Dozens of potluck dishes rounded out the scrumptious meal.  And, of course, plenty of libations!  As darkness fell (along with a light sprinkling of rain), the younger partygoers built a roaring bonfire.  Good food, good people, good conversation. A hearty thanks to the hosts, Patti and Alan.

Crabtoberfest picture taken by Alan’s brother, Jeff

Our last night at anchor before heading home found us back at Weston Creek off the East River of Mobjack Bay.  As we rounded the New Point Comfort Lighthouse we found ourselves surrounded by dozens of dolphins!

We knew we were getting close to home when all the chatter on the radio centered on the movement of warships!  Prom Queen, a 60-foot schooner heading north after competing in the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race, made radio contact with Warship #66 heading up the York River.  Warships #5, 75 and 51 were all outbound from Naval Station Norfolk and advised all boaters to steer well clear or be subject to ‘deadly force.’

Lazy W obeyed all the rules of the road and arrived safely at Vinings Landing Marina in the early afternoon on Monday, October 21^st.  The Captain was able to maneuver our 14.5-foot wide trawler into a barely 16-foot wide slip – it felt as if we were attempting to thread a needle!  

When we finally secured Lazy W in the slip it became quite obvious that this was no place to leave her – at least eight feet of her stern was stuck out in the fairway and the rickety floating dock was all catawampus!  We combed the marina for a more suitable berth; we even considered taking her back to Ocean Marine Yacht Center in Portsmouth.  Luckily there was one slip down the fairway that we felt comfortable with and it was available to us.  The Captain carefully eased Lazy W out of slip 230 and into slip 301 where she will spend the next six months while her dauntless crew enjoys landlubber amenities at Dolphin Run on the oceanfront!  It was a fantastic three-month cruise...