4/27/16         Wednesday               Chesapeake City, MD   middle of C&D Canal




A gentle seas day. Phew, what a relief. Amelia still slept under the covers all day. It was, still is, chilly.

William P Lane Bridge

This bridge just outside Annapolis is an engineering beauty. It was two bridges, I assume one going east the other west. It had such sweeping beauty. Even in the rain and chill.

Another view

We shared the helms-person responsibilities pretty equally today and I did some suggesting about navigating. Realized that David does the long view planning navigating and I'm good at following his lead AND/but finding our way in the up close arena. Since I consult the paper charts more than he does I noticed that a diagonal course, between two major shipping channels, was on the paper chart. "Hey, why not go the paper chart route already laid out rather than trying to devise our own?" "Well, okay, maybe. What's the heading?" "028 degrees." "looks good" So we had only to look out for crab pots (not many) fishing boats (several) and other uncharted obstructions.

I have to remind myself to look near as well as look far. I have the look far (scan the distance front, side, back side) for vessels on the horizon. Have to remind myself to look near - those crab pots! I've two memories about look far which might cause my preference for that. When my dad was teaching me to drive (after driver's education in high school) he noticed that I was watching the car exactly in front of or exactly behind me. He suggested that I scan several cars away so that I could plan ahead and avoid  surprises that could cause emergency action rather than more cautious planned action...always anticipate what other drivers might do, he advised. Not bad advice in boating, either, or life to some extent. The other look far was a fantasy book that David and I read aloud to each other early in our marriage, maybe before - The Earth Sea Trilogy, by Ursala LeGuin."Look Far" was the name of the young magician's boat.

Other obstructions to look far for included Metis Leader. So glad this vessel got through the C&D before we entered! Think again the theme music from Jaws.

Metis Leader, we think a car carrier

as close as we want to be

Not soooo large in the distance but up close and personal....YIKES! I was feeling our boat was a bit diminutive around all the other boats in anchorages and harbors we've visited and hung out with but now this! Don't know the depth or tonnage but it is 658' long and 105' wide - LARGE!




We're definitely in red dirt territory again, yesterday, too. No more the black dirt or sandy loam.

Another oddity coming into the top of Chesapeake Bay just before the C&D Canal was this packed to the gills RV camp. Could not tell how many but most had these large looking screened porches across most of one side of the vehicle. Most looked as if they weren't going to move...more like a suburban trailer park.  Hard to imagine living this close or even vacationing this close, to others.

RV Park

We arrived in Chesapeake City, where we visited last fall, around 4 PM, no rain but still a chill. There was a large catamaran on the dock and a trawler leaving...just in time for us to arrive...the trawler leaving. We docked. Met Jane and Gary on Dream Catcher. Enjoyed them and promised to check weather together after we got settled. Then as we were settling a scruffy man with a camera came and stood on the raised dock near our door. "David, there is a man outside our door that wants to talk about our boat." Turns out he was with a "family" of folks, all who came over to chat, who were from Bremen, ME. The two men and child were helping the woman bring her boat from VA back to ME. We visited and talked. The young person, not a child really, maybe 12, wanted to meet Amelia. I suggested that all of us come aboard and get out of the cold. All did. We had a delightful time talking....boats, weather, pathways down and up the state of New Jersey. They left (Gordon, Theo, Al and Brenda on Sidera) and we went to check in with Jane and Gary. Chat, chat, chat.  They think they will leave around 2 AM to catch a good tide. We think we'll stay another day and leave on Friday.

Try to get a haircut and do some provisioning tomorrow.