Don’t Leave Port on a Friday

Remembering Trini times with Peter & Gayle

So we didn’t but saved ourselves for the free Reggae Solstice at Town Point Park on Saturday night instead. We should have come dressed in our Trini clothes, mon, but still we didn’t do too badly all things considered (read – no laundry done for what seemed like weeks!).  Kenyatta Hill sang up a storm and the Itals re-formed especially for the night.  For old guys, they sure could sing.  It made us (younger old ones!!) want to head straight back to the Caribbean.

We had met up with another Aussie couple, Peter & Gayle on Jabiru (Southport), also anchored at Hospital Point.  Rather than wait in Norfolk for good weather to cruise the coast, we moved on up Chesapeake Bay (Plan Z by now).  WJ3 performed with great style and we even made Solomons Island, albeit a little late but far better than an anticipated 2 day run.  After anchoring, we watched as an electrical storm came speedily overhead.  BW set up his camera and was madly flashing away trying to capture a “great” lightning shot, whilst the Cap’n got out the binos to survey the stormy scene.  By now, a young kiwi lass on a boat nearby, trying to take a shower on deck in privacy, considered both to be pervs, and rushed below.  Next morning the Captain’s merry wave was met by icy glares….  There were some Kiwis we certainly were not going to meet!

Cooling off in Weems Creek Annapolis. 
Haven't we been here before?

We meandered our way up the Bay resting in the peaceful Sassafras River before running the C&D Canal and Delaware Bay; another long and not entirely uneventful day.  We spotted a submerged, abandoned dinghy floating near the shipping channel and reported it to the Coast Guard.  After quite some discussion to be sure that no bodies were floating with it, we moved on to Cape May and its harbour busy with a tuna fishing tournament (lots of big noisy power boats) and a small anchorage brim full of sail boats sheltering from strong SW winds.  We had had used the winds to advantage, galloping round Cape May through the shoals, not losing lures this time only tangling two of our lines.  This kept BW occupied and frustrated for hours!  Ah, the fun of fishing…

Jabiru was also in Cape May, so Cap’n Friendly motored over.  They too left Norfolk the same day as us only choosing the faster coastal route but had run into our Solomons storm out at sea. Their genoa was shredded to ribbons and wind generator lucky to have not come apart in the 40kt winds.  A sailmaker in Cape May had given them a good quote but they would need to wait a whole month.  Gasp…we congratulated ourselves at having taken the slow and steady route – at least we arrived in Cape May without having further delays that could quite well have ended our Crossing attempt this year!

Richmond County Yacht Club, Great Kills_Fantastic Hospitality!

So here we are after a fantastic run up the coast, sitting in Great Kills Harbor on a mooring.  We have decided to stay for a week to get ourselves ready (again) – at least we are now at the right latitude (40N) to make a rhumb line course (2150nm) direct for the Azores.  Perhaps it had better be a rum line.

From:	Hospital Point, Norfolk	To:	Great Kills Harbor, Staten Is
Lat/Long:	36:50.67N  76:17.92W	Lat/Long:	40:32.5400N  74:07.9210W
Date/Time:	11/7/11: 0535	Date/Time:	17/7/11: 1320
Time Taken:	403.5nm (60hrs)
Distance:	892.5nm (147.5hrs) (this year)	Dist Total	6264.5nm (since 2008)
Weather:	SW ; 10-15kts G20; 2-4’ seas;
Fastest Speed:	9kts surfing (generally 7kts running with the wind)