In which we change our minds and end up docking 3 times in one day ...
Rick here: We weighed anchor early in Reedville - Melanie actually
suggested getting going by 7 am so we could see the sunrise. I'm not
sure what happened to her but that is way earlier than my definition of 'a
reasonable hour'. As we motored out of Reedville with wind more from
the east, we got a full-frontal whiff of the fish processing plant. So
that's what they mean about the bad smell if the wind is coming from the
wrong direction. We are definitely in bald eagle country, as another one gave us the 'fish eye' from atop the red marker as we left the Reedville channel.
Mel speaking: So Rick, who has now done more reading than is good for him, has been worried about entering the Potomac - which has a fierce reputation for rough water when the wind is up and against the current and tide (these are tidal rivers, that is the tide goes in and out, so with the flow of the river coming out and the tide coming in and the wind there is potential for very rough water - one book likened it to a washing machine so you can understand the worry). So he literally didn't sleep last night. As a result the water was like glass! I thanked him for making it happen through concentrated worry - I know all about that!
Rick again: We entered the Potomac, which is 13 miles wide at its mouth, and headed for the town of St. Mary's - up a small river with the same name. We were on the very edge of the remnants of hurricane Sally and the weather called for rain and some wind. Our plan was to tie up at the dock made available by St. Mary's College and take a walk through town with the goal of finding the bakery recommended by our friends on Meander. Melanie docked the boat like a pro and together we tied off the lines like old salts with big smiles. It is amazing how the docking sets the tone for the day. When it goes well we are cheerful and ready to enjoy life. When it doesn't ....
We suited up for our walk - backpack, water, raincoats, bug spray, hand sanitizer, masks and money and walked into town (and into Maryland for the first time!) just as the rain began. This was the first time in a year on the boat that we had seen hills, rather than flat grassland or waterways. It was a nice change.
It turns out that St. Mary's college is partly housed in historic St. Mary's Village. Kind of like Williamsburg, it still has many original houses, churches and other buildings. All was basically closed up but we understand that normally in the summer the town would be in reenactment mode with "townspeople" in costume, manning the different buildings, acting like it was 1670 or so...
Food Fortune did shine on us, finally; the Enso Artisanal Bakery, housed in one of the historic buildings, stayed open
until 1 pm. We were just in time to order sandwiches for lunch,
and some artisanal donuts for tomorrow's breakfast. Mission
accomplished.
Despite the rain we decided to take a walk around the St. Mary's campus. St. Mary's is the Maryland state honors college with a small but charming campus. Not much activity, but definitely students present so they must be attending virtually. Everyone was wearing a mask - indoors and out - so we kept our masks on which made it almost impossible to see through our fogged-up rain-spattered glasses. With a look at the weather app and the approaching heavier rain we decided to head back to the boat to travel the 40 minutes to our next destination - Dennis Point Marina. We are expecting strong winds for the next couple of days - the remnants of Sally. We wanted to be tied up and snug (with internet and power) for 2-3 days.
Heading back down the St. Mary's river we made a right turn (turn to starboard for you navigators) and headed up Carthagena Creek. We arrived at Dennis Point and made a perfect stern in docking with some help from the marina office staff (it appears they do not have dock hands). We tied up, connected power and then started to look at the place. The docks were literally rotting, and there were bare wires all over the place. I cocked my ear to listen for banjo music but didn't hear anything right away. I went up to the office to check in but when I found there was no internet and no cellphone service decided that this was not the place to stay for 2-3 days....the people were nice, but the marina has definitely seen better days. We filled our propane tanks, bought ice and then got out of there.
We quickly consulted our charts and guidebooks and found an alternative about an hour away. We fired up the motor, untied from the dock and headed back out into the rain, crossing the Potomac to Cole's Point Marina - back in VA. Once again we tied up without help, connected power and settled in to this much nicer marina. We're a good team! And we have excellent internet, and the place to ourselves.... Sweet.
No comments:
Post a Comment