Short Videos From Chesapeake Bay Cruise Part 2

Sailing to Solomons Island

Anchoring Just in Time - Solomons Island, Maryland

Sailing to Galesville, Maryland

Chesapeake Bay Cruise - Part 2

For the second part of the cruise, we decided to head south on the Bay. From the West River, going south there are only three options for the first leg of the trip. You can go all the way to The Solomons, go into the Choptank River through Knapps Narrows and anchor at Dunns Cove, or head to the Little Choptank River. A straight run to The Solomons would take over 9 hours, and Knapps Narrows is a little too shallow for Rosalind. We got fuel and water in the morning and did not get underway until 10 am. We did not want to get at the Solomons at 7 pm, giving ourselves only an hour or so of margin for head winds and currents to arrive before sunset, so we chose the third option, the Little Choptank River. There were a number of power and sailing boats in the West River and on the Bay near Thomas Point Light, but soon after passing the Bloody Point Light we started seeing fewer and fewer boats. The Little Choptank River is a favored destination for sailboats heading north or south on the Bay between the Patuxent River and Eastern Bay or the West River. The entrance is well marked but there are shoals extending well out into the Bay. We entered the river and soon could see a number of masts behind the low land terminating at Casson Point. We got in Hudson Creek and found a spot to drop the anchor. Last time we were there, over six years ago, it was late in the season and we had been all alone. This time, we shared the creek with half a dozen sailboats. We put up our anchor riding sail and after dinner turned in for the night.

The next morning we were up with the sun and headed to The Solomons. We motored out the river, motorsailed for a short distance then enjoyed a very pleasant sail for 2 1/2 hours. We then motorsailed the rest of the way to Solomons Island. We motored up Mill Creek and dropped anchor at the entrance of Spring Cove. We had not been at The Solomons by boat for 13 years and were looking forward to revisiting some of the old familiar places as well as seeing what had changed since our last cruise.

 Sunset, Mill Creek, Solomons Island, Maryland 

We enjoyed Solomons Island and the surrounding area for the better part of week. One day, we walked to Annemarie Sculpture Gardens, associated with the Smithsonian. It was a great adventure, the 5 mile (8 km) round trip walk was pleasant, albeit hot, but the gardens were well worth it! We met some old friends at Zahnizers Marina and met a fellow sailor who lives at Spring Cove.

Sunset, Mill Creek, Solomons Island, Maryland 

While we were at Sping Cove, we got buzzed by an F16 fighter jet out of Pax River. The plane flew right over us, very low, and with the afterburner on it was unbelievably loud. We were down below and heard the roar. The intensity was such that one had difficulty thinking and everything was humming or resonating. We got to the cockpit just in time to see the plane passing over Rosalind. I would not be surprised if the plane was under 1000 ft (300 m) high. I do not think the buzzing was intentional, as planes do touch and go maneuvers at Pax River Naval Air Station all the time, but for the duration of our stay, all other planes stayed to the east of us! One morning our outboard refused to start. I took it apart and it was clear that we needed some carburetor cleaner as the low speed jet had gummed up. We managed to get it started and after taking the necessary tools with us, we headed to shore. We got carburetor cleaner then, after enjoying the day on shore, took the outboard apart at the dinghy dock, cleaned it, reassembled it and presto we were back in business. As the saying goes, "Cruising is doing boat maintenance in exotic places"!!!


We watched the weather and with southwesterly winds we headed back north towards Galesville. We enjoyed a great sail in 15 to 23 knots of wind and spent the night in the Little Choptank River, this time in the company of only a couple of sailboats. The next day we sailed back to Galesville, in similar weather, where we picked up our mooring.

 View of the West River, Galesville, Maryland

The mid-Bay cruise took 19 days. We were on the hook (at anchor) for the duration and had some nice sailing weather ranging from very light airs to moderate breezes. We met old friends and made new ones while visiting some familiar places.


Thanks for joining us,


Alex and Cheryl

Chesapeake Bay Cruise - Part 1

We had been onboard for a few weeks putting the final touches on the Rosalind and we were now looking for a good weather window to start our cruise around the middle part of the Chesapeake. So after we topped off the diesel tank and provisioned, we left our mooring in Galesville and motorsailed to Saint Michaels on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Saint Michaels can be very touristy in the summer but early and late in the season it's a real gem. We spent a couple of very pleasant days walking around town and enjoying the anchorage almost all to ourselves.  We were looking at the weather and we knew that a heat wave was on the way. So, we chose to move on and take advantage of a nice breeze from the southwest before the heat reached us.  Our new destination was the South River.  Even though we had spent over 15 years a stone's throw away, we had never been there.

We had a very nice sail out of the Miles River and with the wind on the nose (dead ahead) we motored out of the Eastern Bay. We were able to enjoy a nice sail across the Chesapeake in light airs and the breeze picked up as we got closer to the South River. On a dead run (with the wind from astern) we decided to reduce sail to gain more control before entering the South River. Our destination was Harness Creek a couple of miles upriver. Despite reviewing the cruising guide and consulting the chart, the entrance to the creek was not clear to us. Where we were expecting to find one private marker, we found three. We knew that there were shoals on both sides of the entrance. The wind was from astern and as we did not want to end being pushed up on a shoal, we decided not to enter Harness Creek and moved on to Aberdeen Creek, the next creek upriver.

Aberdeen Creek is a snug little creek that can hold less than a handful of boats at anchor. The creek narrows pretty quickly so one has to anchor soon after entering. We dropped anchor in 13 ft (4 m) of water, in a muddy bottom, and initially shared the anchorage with a 40 ft (12 m) sailboat.  The western shore of the creek is lined with large homes with deep water docks. On the eastern shore, there is a large estate with a pool house and swimming pool near the water and a large mansion hidden behind old growth trees further up the hill. Even though it was clear we were close to civilization, the setting was very tranquil.

The next day, a twenty-minute dingy ride from Aberdeen Creek brought us to the dinghy landing of the Quite Waters Park, and a two mile (3 km) walk through the wooded park got us to Annapolis. This was a new and fun way to get to this great maritime city. We knew that storms were on the way and made sure to be back onboard well before they reached the anchorage.

It was hot, and the ambient temperature reached 96 degrees (36 C) in the shade. Cold drinks and cold showers on deck kept us cool until a violent thunderstorm at sunset dropped the temperature by 30F (17 C).  The storm also brought 30 knot winds and hail. Luckily there was no damage. Before the storm we put all of our electronics in the oven. The oven, acting as a Faraday cage, protects the electronics from electromagnetic pulses during storms. As the wind started to pick up, and due to Aberdeen Creek being rather small, we started the engine and took the strain off the anchor.

We enjoyed the creek and Annapolis and a few days later we headed back to Galesville, now as cruisers and no longer mooring holders. The trip was short, less that three hours, but it was foggy and rainy. The enclosed cockpit, radar, and windshield wipers all proved their worth and we had a pleasant short trip. We anchored in front of Thursday's Restaurant and even though we had been on the West River for well over a dozen years it felt different. We were now looking at it with different eyes and from a different perspective. The change was subtle but real.

We stayed in Galesville, at anchor, for almost a week enjoying the setting, doing some maintenance, and restocking Rosalind. Here are some pictures and artwork of the first part of our Chesapeake Bay cruise.

Thanks for visiting,

Alex and Cheryl

Ducks Welcoming Committee, Saint Michaels, Maryland

Words of Wisdom!, Saint Michaels, Maryland 

Colorful Home, Saint Michaels, Maryland

A Tranquil Morning, San Domingo Creek, Maryland

Sunset, Aberdeen Creek, Maryland

 A Transient Tug, Galesville, Maryland

From Land to Sea - Moving Onboard and Starting to Cruise

The transition from living on land to living and cruising on a medium-sized sailboat is exciting and for the uninitiated it can be challenging. One day you are living in a house or apartment and the next day you transition to living in a space with scarcely 50 ft2 (5 m2) of standing space belowdecks!

The transition can be physical. If you are not familiar with the boat, you can get banged around a little until you build muscle memory and full awareness of the close surroundings. The transition to a very streamlined existence in terms of possessions can be challenging for some, or liberating for others. For us, less is definitely more. Moving onboard requires a very well laid-out storage plan as space is very limited. When packing Rosalind, sails, safety equipment, tools, and food took top priority. Clothing and all other personal possessions were at the very bottom of the list as they can occupy small spaces and can be shoehorned in around other items. In the aft cabin, we have clothing in three removable bins that nicely fit on the top port shelf and are held in place by the built-in fiddle. In the space below that, we also have clothes but this space is shared with the engine exhaust hose and heater duct. On the starboard side, the boat's only hanging locker has our foul weather gear, life preservers/harnesses and the 6 gal (24 l) hot water heater with its assorted plumbing as well as plumbing for the manual bilge pump. With hundreds of items onboard, a system of tracking what is where is essential. We have tools and spare parts distributed throughout Rosalind and the same holds for food storage. Our food pantry is in the aft cabin on the starboard side. We also have long-term food storage under the aft settee in the main cabin and a bin with snacks over the salon table.  

What is in many ways more interesting is the mental transition, specifically how perspective changes. You go from a lifestyle where the car gets you around at 60 mph (100 km/h) to one where you sail at 5 mph (8 km/h) and walk to the grocery store. That change carries with it a different appreciation of distance and time. When coastal cruising, one has two primary options for overnighting: anchoring out or getting a slip or mooring in a marina. We prefer the tranquility of anchoring out when we have the choice. When we anchor out and need to get to shore, our dinghy becomes our car. While our dinghy is our "car," we cannot get in and have access to anything we want at any time (like on land).The dinghy will get us to shore but we also need a place to tie up the dinghy. Many towns, but not all, have dinghy landings. Annapolis has one in Ego Alley; Galesville and Saint Michaels have them too. But other places don't. In Solomons we landed at one of the private marinas and could leave our dinghy at their floating dock for a small fee. (Think of it as paying for parking downtown in a big city!) A dinghy landing can give you access to a grocery store, laundry facilities, trash disposal or a hardware store. If you are lucky, you can also find a nice little coffee shop with good wifi and some nice shade! To access these necessities (or treats) takes planning and this is part of the fun of cruising. 

While cruising, we also have to fill our fresh water tanks on a regular basis. With 80 gallons (320 l) in our main tank and another 20 gallons (80 l) in our secondary tank, we find that topping our tanks is not a problem. On the US East Coast, fresh water can be had at just about every marina and we usually fill our water tank(s) when we buy diesel fuel.  

 Galesville, Maryland

The most interesting part of the transition from living in a house or apartment to cruising by sailboat is how in-tune you get with nature. Cruising on a boat is driven completely by weather. Where you go and when and how comfortably you get there are all driven by Mother Nature. You get to watch, pay attention, and learn. Getting weather forecasts and weather information is essential to comfortable and safe voyaging. Learning about what weather lies ahead keeps us both busy. We look at the forecasts, look at the raw data of the weather models, and look at the sky. From all that, we try to figure out what is likely to happen.  We find weather forecasting both very complicated and also very interesting and we have a number of books onboard to help us along. While coastal cruising, getting weather information is straightforward. A smartphone gives us access to weather information. For offshore, you need more hardware/software and we will write about that soon. 

Lastly, because we essentially live outdoors, we get to experience nature up close and personal. We feel the cold front arrive and the temperature drop, or see the squall approach and reduce sail.  We anticipate the thunderstorm and watch as it hits to make sure the anchor is not dragging. Sometimes you have to stay up until the early morning hours because of a storm, and sometimes it gets hot even with all the fans onboard running. (Rosalind has no air conditioning.) But the rewards are many. We try to watch every sunrise and every sunset (that's how we get so many pictures of them!), and even the storms, while awe-inspiring, are amazing to watch. We have both observed firsthand that there is a strong camaraderie among cruisers and that makes this lifestyle very unique because of the strong interaction amongst the community. Meeting fellow voyagers is one of the highlights of voyaging by sailboat and it is great fun for us to share sea stories and compare cruising notes with fellow cruisers.  

So what does it take to voyage on a medium-sized sailboat? In addition to buying the boat, you should have the skills and wherewithal to keep her in ship shape. Physical fitness, seamanship skills, and lots of time for maintenance and repairs are all necessary.  Beyond that, you need to able to let go of your shore-based comforts and routines, and be willing to, at least temporarily, say au revoir to friends and family. 

All in all, the transition from living on land to cruising enables you to slow down, pay attention to your surroundings, and travel at a pace seldom experienced in modern Western society. It may seem anachronistic and an almost irrational way to travel; however, if you truly want to see nature, explore places near and far, and meet interesting people, voyaging on a sailboat is hard to beat. On a sailboat, the destination is not the goal; being on the water is what it is all about.

Thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoy the pictures and artwork. Please let us know if there is a specific topic you would like us to cover on the blog. We look forward to your comments.

Alex and Cheryl

Sky, Galesville, Maryland