Chesapeake - Smith Creek to Bank O'Dees

Day 6– 32 nm (passage total: 179 nm) It was still wet and the slate sky was thick and heavy with clouds as we headed out of Smith Creek about 0730. After we raised and washed down the anchor, Paul stood at the bow watching for crab pots, of which there were many. At low tide, it was skinny water crossing the entrance bar.

Though the day was grey, it wasn't raining and there was enough to see to keep us occupied as we motor-sailed along. There was a small, but conspicuous white country church on shore just before Piney Point that caught our attention.

Ragged Point Light was probably efficient to build and functional, but it certainly wasn't attractive.

Then the Piney Point Lighthouse came into view. We learned later that it is the oldest permanent lighthouse on the Potomac River. The 40' white cross next to it commemorates the landing of the first Maryland colonists.

The fishing must have been good because the hungry gulls descended en masse to several spots close to the boat.

Once again, we had a change in plans. We had thought to stop at the tiny community of Cobb Island for a night, but the inclement weather kept us moving along to Bank O'Dees near Cuckold Creek, in sight of the Harry W. Nice Bridge and the billowing stacks of the Morgantown Power Plant. We were off the channel and positioned for an early, easy exit back into the channel.

The guys attacked the leaking head with a vengeance. They could not find the leak in the pump assembly nor the hose connections. They deduced it was probably at the bottom of the head or the basin itself. In the end, they removed the entire aft head which we seldom use and moved it forward and then re-installed the forward head aft. A long procedure, but ultimately successful. The forward head is working perfectly now … it pumps and no leaks. The leaky faucet and hatches will wait till another day.

We ate dinner, played cards, watched a movie, drank a little wine and hoped for better weather tomorrow. Not a spectacular day, but not so bad either. That's how it goes when you're sailing.

Chesapeake - Reedville to Smith Creek

Day 5 – 31 nm (passage total: 147 nm) It rained during the night and the forecast called for more … and more. We heard flood warnings for the local inland areas. The sun rose, but the dark, heavy sky dampened its enthusiasm … and ours. Still, we were up and out of the Cockrell Creek anchorage by 0700. It was chilly and raw and we donned our rain gear. David and Paul raised the anchor while I was at the helm. They seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time on the bow and I wondered if there was a problem. It appears a very large spider had taken up residence in the furler and was rather obstinate about vacating his home. The hose used to wash down the muddy anchor was also used to convince the arachnid to give it up.

Now that we knew some of the history associated with the Cockrell Creek fish factory ruins and the solitary chimney stack, we paid more attention as we passed by. The Morris-Fisher stack “proudly stands over 130 feet from base to crown and is affectionately known by locals and visitors alike, as Reedville’s own “Statue of Liberty”. Evidently, the stack was in bad shape and falling down up until a few years ago when a huge community effort, “Save the Stack”, raised enough funds to have it repaired. “The stack is an iconic landmark of Reedville and the Northern Neck’s menhaden factories.[...] This is the last stack like this of any factory that operated in the Northern Neck. Through the years, this statuesque landmark has served as a visual aid to the watermen and sailors of the past. “When they saw the stack, they knew they were home.” Awesome!

We rounded the bend and headed back out into the Chesapeake. We passed Smith Point Light and then crossed the state line from Virginia into Maryland just as the rain began in earnest. This was a very, very wet day, but we needed showers anyway.

We ran with just the jib and hung a left out of the bay and into the historic Potomac River. The ride was bumpy with wind against current. Our plan had been to head five miles up the St. Mary's River to St. Mary's City, the site of Maryland's first capital. After further investigation, we found the colonial site was closed on this day and since it was pouring we wouldn't go ashore anyway. Instead, we found an alternative anchorage in Smith Creek. Maybe we'd visit St. Mary's City on our return trip.

The entrance to Smith Creek was a tricky dog-leg around shoals which was well-marked and wouldn't have been half so tricky if it wasn't cluttered with crab pots. Why the crabbers have to place the pots in the middle of the channel escapes us, but they do and negotiating around them in a sailboat is not all that easy. We muddled through and then encountered several fish traps. That said, David managed admirably and we had no crab pots nor fish traps on our prop when we finally found a place a to anchor for the night.

Soaked and chilled, we went below to dry off only to discover the head was leaking, as was the forward faucet (new problem) and two of the hatches. Grrrr! A cursory check indicated there was nothing to be done in the midst of the downpour and there was no danger of sinking, so we did the only thing we could think of to do … have lunch and take a nap.

The leaks hadn't disappeared when we rose in time for dinner, but we ignored them while we ate and watched a movie. We'll figure it all out tomorrow.

Mobjack Bay to Fishing Bay

Day 3 - 31 nm (passage total: 80 nm) The guys were up at 0530 removing the old impeller and replacing it with a new one. We hauled anchor by 0715. We were thankful for the thick, black river mud that had held us firmly during the night, but now spent 30 minutes cleaning the muck off the chain and anchor before getting underway.

The new impeller did the trick and the engine temp stayed steady in its normal range. Cups' speed was greatly enhanced without all the barnacles on her prop. All was good. We passed by New Point Comfort Light as we left Mobjack Bay and re-entered the Chesapeake.

It was right about that time that David announced the the forward head pump was broken. Really?

Paul went below and the two guys spent several hours trying to fix it. We had an older spare pump aboard, but when it was installed, it didn't work either. They finally exchanged the aft head pump for the forward pump and all was well … until it was determined that the hose from the head to the holding tank was clogged and the head was still unusable. David tried using muriatic acid, but to no avail. Sigh!

We passed Wolf Trap Light, then headed to port up the Piankatank River. Our destination for the evening was Fishing Bay, a lovely wide open, deep water bay, perfect for an overnight stay. We anchored and the guys got to work on the forward head again. They removed the connecting hose between the head and the holding tank … a mighty effort. It was clogged with thick, hard calcium deposits. Evidently all his regular treatments with muriatic acid along the way had not been all that successful.

They worked for several hours and finally reassembled the whole works with excellent results. Whew! Traveling without a working head would have been a bummer. We have an aft head, but we rarely use it unless we're at sea because it is not connected to a holding tank.

The area was scenic with a lovely little marina and Deltaville, with its shops and museum, was just a short walk across the peninsula. By the time the job was complete, however, it was too late to launch the dinghy and head into shore. We settled for a glass of wine, dinner and a game or two of cards aboard. By 9pm (aka cruiser midnight), we were all ready for our bunks.

Two things to note here: 1) We're not traveling very far each day by choice; and 2) we haven't been off the boat since we left AYB. Tomorrow we're hoping for some shore time to stretch our legs and see what we can see and, please, no more hissy-fits from the sulking Nine of Cups.