On Our Way to the Bottom of the Bay

Sunday, October 26th: Jackson Creek

Yesterday, it was a little sad to tour Crisfield. Skipper Bob describes Crisfield as a town in decline - and so it is. The town is in the centre of "crab country" and there are crab processing plants along the water. I think that the crab season is coming to an end so perhaps that is why there seemed to be so little activity around the plants. We were especially disappointed to see that the big crab eatery, with it's giant crab sitting on the roof - was closed up - and for sale! The ice cream shop is for sale too. In fact there were not many businesses open - and many of the stores are empty. Perhaps if we had visited a week ago during the Waterman's Festival we would have seen a different side of the town.

Crisfield had it's moments though - the grocery store was centrally located for us (not too far from where we had docked our dinghy), the Dollar General had socks for Bob and a couple of kitchen utensils I wanted, the library had Internet access and in the midst of all the closed down businesses one store was open and we went in to discover the most lovely store full of antiques and novelties. I bought my first "souvenir" - a little crab cage Christmas ornament (locally made and an exact replica of the larger version) - OK - it may not be all that pretty on the tree but it will remind us of the crab "pots" that we've been weaving around ever since we arrived on the Bay - and finally - we had dinner in the Grove restaurant - recommended to us by the young fellow at the fuel dock, and where the locals go. We had a tasty dinner of Rock Fish (very good) with salad, baked sweet potato and home made baking powder biscuits - all for $14.99.

Tonight, we're back on the west side of the Bay and anchored in Jackson Creek off the Piankatank River - how's that for a name? The town of Deltaville is close by but even though we are getting pretty quick at deploying the dinghy - we didn't feel like taking the time (and energy) to put it down and then back up again before dinner.

As we are now in the habit of doing, we consulted the Skipper Bob Guide and also our Guide to the Chesapeake and chose a destination promising one or more good anchorages. When we arrived, it seemed strange to see a bay full of anchored boats! We have gotten used to being one of 2 or 3 boats or occasionally being on our own as we were in Crisfield. We're not used to jockeying for a spot - and when it appeared that there were 2 or 3 boats that had just arrived behind us - I wondered for a few minutes if we would have to go elsewhere. We did find a spot - and once anchored, we were able to sit in the cockpit in a warm afternoon sun and enjoy this pretty spot. There are a few Canadian flags and lots of wind generators and solar panels. These guys are likely on their way south just like us!

Monday, October 27th: Hampton

When we started out this morning, the winds were moderate, and Bob put the full main up which was gutsy since there was a small craft wind warning predicted for the afternoon. By noon, we had winds gusting to 30 knots directly behind us and we were surfing the waves and watching the knot meter hit new highs (personal bests for Sea Change). I took a picture when the meter hit 9.1, but at one point it was briefly at 9.3 - incredible. Bob had quite a time keeping the boat on course. After the winds moved almost directly behind us, I didn't take the wheel again. I have a fear of jibing the main at that point of sail. For our non-sailor friends, that means steering so as to allow the wind to flip around to the other side of the sail and cause the boom and main sail to whip across the boat - it would be quite a bang in winds like we were having and it's something one tries not to do. It's also very hard on the boat's rigging. Our trip was a bit wild but I must say, we certainly got to Hampton quickly.

The knot metre went to 9.3 but I wasn't quick enough to get a picture.

We have decided to stay in Hampton for at least 2 nights so that we can visit with the Woolseys who are staying not too far away, get laundry done, do some planning for the next part of our trip, and also visit one or two of the nearby historic towns and cities. To that end, we will likely rent a car for a day or two.

We are in a reasonably priced marina that gives the "Boat US" discount. It's pretty basic but we have a nice long dock with cleats (!) and well - that's about it for amenities but it's fine. They did help us into our dock - always a nice touch.

The Woolseys are not going to be able to get away before the second week in November. In the process of doing scheduled work on their boat, the boat mechanics discovered a problem with their propeller and having it repaired is going to hold them up further - so in a couple of days - we will set out on our own and the Woolseys will catch up with us when they can. They are a faster boat than we are - so catching up will be quite doable.

My goodness - how did this happen? A year or two ago, I never would have believed it if someone had told me that we would be taking our boat to Florida all on our own! I'm like the lady we spoke to at the fuel dock near Rock Hall. She asked, "Where are you from?" and when Bob said Toronto, she said, "You brought your boat all the way from Toronto? Oh my God!"