TripSailor.com® Sailing Blogs

5-26-08

I am happy to say that we are secure at the dock in Somers Cove Marina in Crisfield, MD, on the Eastern Shore.  This has probably been one of the hardest and most exhausting passages we’ve made on this trip.  It all began deceptively calm in Mill Creek as we weighed anchor a few minutes past seven.  We had listened to the NOAA weather forecast on the VHF as for the second day in a row, I had very limited cell phone signal and kept getting disconnected from the internet.  The forecast called for south winds in the morning at 10-15 knots, seas 2-3 feet, but wind and seas increasing in the afternoon with small craft warnings  and wind 20-25 knots.  We felt confident that we were leaving early enough to escape the worst of the weather as we supposedly only had 30 nautical miles to go.  We passed back out of the Great Wicomoco River and headed across the Bay.  We felt the wind off our beam at 16 knots at 7:30 was not a good sign, but we ran out the head sail and journeyed on.  The rollers coming from the south were at least four and sometimes five feet.  I was at the helm during the early going and was keeping lookout for ships and tugs, and I spied a tug towing a very large barge headed toward the same red channel marker we were.  As our paths got closer and closer, Bill took the helm.  He felt he could clear before the tug got to us, but it was looking more and more ominous.  The tugboat captain called for “the sailboat crossing my bow.”  “Do you think you’re going to make it Captain?”  “I’m trying,” replied Bill.  The tugboat captain then proceeded to tell Bill how dangerous it was to attempt that and he’d alter his course so we could pass him.  “You should have crossed behind my stern.”  His last warning was to be very careful of the barge as it “swings a lot in these waves.”  It was a very scary experience, not one I ever want to repeat.  Bill says he has learned a very valuable lesson, and the Admiral is quite confident we will not be in that situation again.

We were getting pounded pretty well as we finally turned north and had the wind on our stern, but it was still tough to hold the boat on course.  The wind increased to more than 20 knots and the waves were 6 and sometimes 7 feet.  We were actually surfing the waves in Tangier Sound.  We were definitely boogying though at over 7 knots.  Finally we approached the entrance to Little Annemessex River where we had to turn east and once again fought the waves and wind on our beam.  The channel was littered with crab pots, but Bill did a good job going between them and we got to the channel marker that was the designated “call the marina” mark.  I did, and got information about our slip, but we had never been to the marina before, and needed directions into the marina.  We kept switching channels until finally we got the info we needed and headed into the marina and to our designated slip with the dockhands waving us in.  Great!  Another exciting downwind docking into a narrow pier-lined slip.  Bill did a good job getting us in, the dockhands had our bow lines and Bill had lassoed the starboard pier.  However the wind was howling at over 20 knots and I had a really hard time lassoing the port side piling.  Once I got it over the little wooden arm that keeps the line from dropping down the piling and I asked expectantly if that would anchor our boat enough to tug it over, even though I knew it would probably pull off, and I was right.  After several more attempts of tossing the line in the water, I finally connected to cheers from the dockhands and the couple on a neighboring boat who had come to assist.  With a warren of lines we finally got settled.  Looking at my watch, I noted it was only 12:30.  What a long 5 ½ hours! 

We walked down the street to a little restaurant, The Alibi, and had a bowl of crab soup and split a Caesar Salad for lunch.  We were both rocking and rolling (at least that’s the way we felt) after being on Cool Breeze for 3 days.  After returning to the marina, Bill did some boat and anchor washing while I diligently did my exercises.  Then we both got hot showers (mine was like being squirted with a fire hose, though Bill said his was fine).  I told myself that I had saved myself an expensive ex-foliating treatment at a spa.  We will walk into town in a little while, have an early dinner and I’m sure be retiring soon after an exhausting day.  We’ll be here in Crisfield for at least through tomorrow night and possibly longer, depending on the wind.  Neither of us is anxious to tackle the high wind and waves anytime soon.  As I was working on this blog, Bill noticed a sailboat hanging off the docks of the marina.  He called them on the radio and they did need assistance in docking as the marina had closed 30 minutes earlier.  We went to E Dock to assist and after a couple of attempts the “Galois” was safely in its berth.  Now I’ll finish this up and we’ll head to dinner.

Thanks to those who e-mailed.  I really appreciate it and hope you’ll continue to be in touch.