Heading Back and Hurricane Matthew

Days 14 – 20 – Back to Atlantic Yacht Basin Total mileage for the trip: 429 nm

Our time in Washington, DC was up and we reluctantly made our plans to head back to the Atlantic Yacht Basin in Chesapeake, Virginia and put Nine of Cups to bed for a couple of months. We shopped at the local neighborhood Safeway for our return trip provisions and made sure Cups was ready to go. Paul cast off the mooring and we chugged down Washington Channel back into the Potomac River.

Our plans for exploring were curtailed considerably by big winds, torrential rain and the impending arrival of Category 5 Hurricane Matthew. The heavy downpours caused significant inland flooding and made our transit wet and dreary. We anchored at Banks O'Dee again on our return trip, where it blew and drizzled throughout the night.

We had planned to stop at St. Mary's City since we missed it on the way up, but once again heavy rain changed our minds and we wended our way through the crab pots into Smith Creek for the night. We headed out early the next morning, but after an hour of fighting adverse current, 30 knot winds on the nose and bothersome waves, we hightailed it back into the calm of the creek and tucked in for another night.

It cleared slightly off and on the next day, but the sky remained dark and gray. We noticed a waterspout just off Fishing Bay which caused a bit of excitement on the radio. The spout dissipated after a few minutes and no harm was done.

We had a bit of excitement when a small fishing boat hailed us as we passed by. They had blown a coolant hose and needed fresh water to complete their repairs. David glided up near them and using a monkey fist attached to a line with a plastic water jug, we were able to provide them with the water they needed. We waited till the repair was complete, then recouped the water jug and monkey fist in the same manner. Good practice for throwing lines and recovering stuff at sea. We were hoping for fish for dinner, but they were just heading out, so no such luck.

We saw eagle after eagle on our way south. Sometimes, lone eagles soared above the water scouting for dinner; other times we saw pairs and even parents with an eaglet nesting in a crude nest on the top of a marker.

We had been tracking Hurricane Matthew diligently as he wreaked havoc in Haiti and the Bahamas and headed for the US east coast. We became anxious about getting Nine of Cups to safety before the hurricane's approach. We breathed a sigh of relief as we negotiated the Great Bridge Locks and the Great Bridge and spotted the Atlantic Yacht Basin once again. The place was crazy busy. Everyone had the same idea as we did. Luckily, we had reservations and within a couple of hours Cups was nestled snugly in a protected slip, her docklines doubled up and secure. As it turned out, Matthew took a turn out to sea after passing the Carolinas and Nine of Cups was spared any problems.

We'll be winterizing Nine of Cups and putting her to bed now as we head to Boston and Las Vegas till after the holidays.

By the way, today is Just A Little Further.com's 4th anniversary. Thanks for hanging out with us all these years!

Up the Potomac to Washington, DC

Day 9 – 13 nm (passage total: 236 nm) We could have spent at least another day visiting Mount Vernon, but we were excited about arriving in Washington, DC and wanted to spend as much time in our nation's capital city as possible. As we hauled anchor and rejoined the channel, the views of Mount Vernon were majestic.

It was only 13 miles to DC and we enjoyed the short trip. Not far from Mount Vernon, just around the bend on the opposite shore is Fort Washington Park, Maryland. “Built to defend the river approach to Washington, DC, Fort Washington has stood as silent sentry for over 200 years. As technologies advanced so did Fort Washington, from the brick and stone of the 19th century to the concrete and steel of the 20th century.” Obviously, a strategic place for a fort, but from our vantage point, there wasn't much to see other than walls and a small lighthouse with a designated red marker.

We passed the Spirit of Mount Vernon, headed to Washington's home with a boatload of tourists.

The Woodrow Wilson Bridge, aka I95 lay before us, the last bridge before the city.

There's something very special about arriving by water at a world-famous port city. It's much more exciting than arriving by plane or car - perhaps it's the time it takes to get there and the anticipation that builds en route. We've visited this city many, many times. Perhaps, cities just look differently when approached from the sea. Heading up the Potomac and seeing Washington, DC come into view was awesome. The Washington Monument and the Capitol Building dominated the skyline.

We stayed to port at the fork in the river and headed up the Washington Channel. Our plan was to pick up one of the new moorings at the Gangplank Marina if it was available. The riverfront is being totally “gentrified” in this area and the current anchorage area is further down the river and not as convenient. As luck would have it, a boat that we passed entering the channel had just dropped a mooring that would suit us. We did a quick recon, picked up the mooring and just relaxed in the cockpit for a few minutes, enjoying the view. The location was outstanding … in the shadow of the Washington Monument, only a 15-minute walk to National Mall.

We allowed no moss to gather on our shoes, but that's a story for tomorrow and the days to come. In the meantime, I thought you'd enjoy sharing our view from Nine of Cups' cockpit this evening.

Chesapeake - On to Mount Vernon

Day 7 – 43 nm (passage total: 223 nm) We were up by 0600, drinking coffee and waiting for enough light to haul anchor and be on our way. Today makes a week since we left the marina in Chesapeake and we've fallen into an easy routine. We were up anchor and cruising towards the Harry W. Nice Bridge by 0650. On our trip from the Baltimore airport to the boat a few weeks ago, we paid a $6 toll to cross this bridge. Luckily, there's no toll for passing under its 105' high span.

It was another grey, hazy morning as we passed by the “Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay”, rotting hulks of WWI military vessels that weren't completed in time to be of use during the war and later abandoned.

The Potomac River is quite circuitous in this area and the channel narrows considerably due to shoals. As we rounded Maryland Point, we noticed a pair of birds perched on a green can. We'd seen lots of gulls and cormorants and figured that's what they were.

It wasn't until we got closer and I took a pic that we were amazed to see two bald eagles. What a treat!

The Potomac is a natural boundary between states …  Maryland to starboard and Virginia to port. We passed by Quantico Marine Base and the FBI training center. The facility doesn't look like much from the water although they do have a nifty marina there reserved for marines. We weren't invited to stop for a tour, so we carried on.

Another change in plans. We were making good time and instead of stopping at our intended anchorage at Mattawoman Creek, we continued another 12 nm and anchored just off George Washington's Mount Vernon. We were all ready for a visit to George Washington's historic homestead in the morning when we heard a Coast Guard broadcast on the VHF radio advising that there would be fireworks at Mount Vernon on this very evening. Really? In honor of our arrival?

We enjoyed a spectacular sunset and expected several boats to join us in the anchorage.

By 1945, when the fireworks barge began shooting off rockets, we remained the only boat in the anchorage and we appreciated the display all by ourselves.

Tomorrow we head in the dinghy to the wharf and plan to spend the entire day exploring George Washington' Mount Vernon.