Sat Oct 17: Solomons to Coltons Point Marina

In which we arrive at our winter storage destination with mixed feelings... 

 

We faced another long day so we were at the helm by 8 am, drinking coffee (me) and tea (Melanie).  We cruised slowly out of Solomons, into the Patuxent River and then out onto the Chesapeake Bay where we found a strong current in our favor.   As we've mentioned before, the Chesapeake is a large body of water with strong currents and tides.  This time the current was behind us adding around 2 mph to our normal speed - helpful as the projected 8 hours of cruising decreased to about 6.5 hours. 

We cruised south and eventually arrived at the Potomac River where we turned right and headed towards Coltons Point. It was a gorgeous, cool fall day - just what we had hoped for when we started out in Sept.

 

Sometimes a boat under sail really embodies the joy of a day.

 

Coltons Pt is our final stop for the year and we plan to winterize the boat (drain all water and replace with non-toxic antifreeze), take the boat out of the water, wrap and leave for the winter.   It is bittersweet that our 2020 cruising season has come to an end. We had been told that September and October are great months to cruise the Chesapeake and we found it to be true.  September was still a bit hot and humid, but October was beautiful...with great sunsets and temperatures.  We have learned and experienced so much, and grown closer as a result.

Thank you to all our loyal readers (you know who you 4 are) for sharing this experience with us! We  promise to be back next year, unless you pay us big $$$ not to come back.  Tentative plans, pending COVID, are to come back to the boat in mid-May 2021, recommission her and take off for northern areas including New York, the Hudson River, Erie Canal, Rideau Canal, Montreal and Lake Champlain.   Stay tuned!