4/25/16         Monday             Solomon Island, MD

Well THAT was HARD!  Leaving Deltaville was easy. Pretty morning sky, lovely wind fro the south/ south east. Gentle seas. Until we got into the Bay again. HA! As we continued on our way we had WAVES. These waves were predicted at about 20", 1/2 meter. But, they were more like 1.5 meters. The only good thing was that they were sustained waves rather than sharp ones. The entire day was waves. Four little waves from the stern. Then a BIG wave from the stern quarter causing us to plunge and roll and waddle and lift. then back to little waves, stern and stern quarter.

Grace  is amazing. She just kept taking the waves, rounding up, re-pointing and plowing or wallowing on. Steady.  I never felt in danger just really uncomfortable with the constant up, down, side, up, side, down motion that was often unpredictable. David and I shared the helm responsibilities and navigation responsibilities. One of us working while the other read or took cat naps.

Amelia, speaking of cats, was really uncomfortable and sometimes just frightened. She lay close to the thigh of whoever was seated. Once after a particularly rough patch she slunk (past tense of slink) fro the bed to the settee toward us at the helm. I was managing a sail so David scooped her up and held her while he steered and I conquered the sail. Then I took her to the settee to settle down. She was better with human companionship rather than crawling under the covers.

Crossing the Potomac River was horrible. How did Washington do it? David says that when we came south it was totally calm. I don't remember.

We've anchored for the night in a place that we moored on the way south. I totally did not recognize it until David insisted we were "right here." With more trained eyes I do remember this place. We came in cold and nearly dark after a long day, not rough but one of our first 8 hour days back then. We picked up a mooring in a vacant field about 200 yards from where we are now. A bigger boat tan we was moored a little to our port bow and another boat was anchored about where we are now. I remember thinking, coming in last year, how twisty and narrow this route was. Now, in the daylight and with 7 months of boating experience, this is a football field.

We've had a beer and chips on the aft deck. A boat, Shine, that we met last year in Port Washington is on one of the moorings that we didn't pick up last year. I don't remember the people but they are from Castine. Probably will not contact them tonight but might say hello tomorrow as we leave. Seems as if a number of us are heading north and back home.

Dinner soon. Annapolis tomorrow if all goes according to plan.