Tuesday, June 18: Thunder on the Bay

Date:                           June 18, 2013

Day on the Cruise:      64

From:                          Henderson's Wharf Marina, Baltimore, MD                                                            

To:                              Skipjack Cove Marina, Georgetown, MD

Statute Miles:              49.3

Time:                           5.75 Hrs

Cumulative Miles:       1,526.2 SM

On Board:                  Susan, Chuck, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut

Here we are in Georgetown, MD!

On the Sassafras River in Maryland!

Location as relates to Mid Atlantic States

We left Baltimore about 8:45 this morning. The harbor was very calm and peaceful. Only two commercial vessels the entire way out to the Bay, and only two pleasure vessels. No wakes, no wind, no rocking and rolling! No ship issues at Seven Foot Knoll. Yea!!!!!!

We were glad to leave Henderson's Wharf. It was OK in that it gave us a place to tie up, but the word "seedy" comes to mind. I probably would not stay here again.

The high lite of Baltimore was getting to see Jack and Michelle! We enjoyed being with them after so many years! We will have to get together again.

The trip across the Bay to the East, then North up to the Sassafras River was largely uneventful until we got to River. We had a following sea with not much wind, but this affected the autopilot and we couldn't hold much of a course. This meant manual steering which wasn't too bad.

Look out the front door as we head into Chesapeake Bay

It was cloudy and very hazy for the entire trip. We had to open all the Isenglass on the Flybridge to get a breath of air. Another hot and sweaty day! Looking at radar after lunch, we saw bands of storms moving East across the Bay. We could see the storms coming at us. By this time we were off the Army's Aberdeen Proving Grounds North of Baltimore, and we could  the thuds from ordinance being fired and exploded. This also mixed in with Thunder.

The storms hit us as we turned East into the Sassafras River. We encountered a continuous string of crab pots stretching across the mouth of the River like a mine field. I finally turned between two pots and got on the other side of the string, then headed up the River. With the wind from the storms and the rain, crab pots were the last thing we needed. It was neat to see the wind "puffs" blow across the generally calm seas before the storm. Sort of gave us the storm warnings before the big gusts hit us.

Storms approaching as we turned into the Sassafras River

As we went the 7 or 8 miles up the River to the Marina, the storms kept popping up in front of us. It was amazing! Mostly hard rain and some wind. The River winds like some of the Rivers in Alabama. It is beautiful with big green trees and high banks. More elevation than we have yet to see on the trip.

When we got to the marina, we got a pump out first then docked bow - in in a slip. All the while, the rain came down in torrents. The dock hands were troopers and helped us through the entire process, getting soaked to the skin. We were very appreciative.

My cousin John will not be down until tomorrow. We look forward to seeing him! The weather is supposed to be better then.

Weather for going down Delaware Bay on Sunday still looks OK. Light winds from the South South West. The tide doesn't start to go out from Delaware City until mid morning. So it looks like a 9:30 departure to make a run to Cape May down the Bay WITH the tide. Not sure about our trip up the  Jersey Coast. Tuesday might be the day to start this.

Thanks for Reading!