We departed C&D canal at flood tide, July19th, on a heading to the Bohemia River in the Chesapeake Bay, MD. Our plan was to rendezvous with our friend Anne and her husband Jim on their 44 ft Antares Catamaran, Tilia. Anne was a fellow crew mate on our 59 North Sailing trip to the Azores aboard Falken.
It was a short 12-mile motor to the Bohemia River. The original plan was to Anchor here because the B&G chart showed that we had 7 to 8 feet of water. However shortly after entering the Bohemia River our depth gauge was reading 5 feet (we draw 6 ft). Considering that it was high tide, and that there was some tidal change expected in the river, we were concerned that we would be aground if we continued to pursue anchoring in this location.
Scott’s familiarity with the area came in handy and we decided to proceed down the Chesapeake to another location in the Sassafras River. It was a lesson that you can’t always rely on the accuracy of electronic charts.
Later that day Anne and Jim met us at the Sassafras River where we enjoyed a wonderful evening of wine, food and loads of laughter. We also got a tour of Tilia with her detailed wood interior, generator, dual engines, air conditioning, real refrigerator and many other amenities. You can read more on their blog HERE.
Scott’s birthday (Sunday July 21) started off with a lovely breakfast aboard Tilia. Jim and Anne were heading North over the next few days to Manhattan to anchor at the base of the Statue of Liberty in a couple of days.
On our course south toward Norfolk, VA we decided to proceed to Worton Creek, the harbor where Scott’s parents kept their boat Winward Ho. We felt secure anchored in the good holding ground about 0.25 mile from the shore.
Scott took us on a trip down memory lane as we motored up the Creek to Worton Creek Marina. We barbecued hamburgers for dinner and opened the B-day presents that our kids had supplied before we departed. Scott received birthday wishes and calls from Natalie and Shannon that were so appreciated. Overall, a very happy birthday for Scott!!!
The biggest story of the day was how dramatically the whole area had changed in the last 40 years. A gentleman at the Worton Marina store indicated that they experienced some of the hottest days on record at 105 degrees F. He was a wealth of local knowledge commenting on how the species of fish had changed dramatically, particularly rockfish, presumably due to the change in water temperature.
Scott also noted his memories of areas that had been dry at high tide we’re now underwater. The Bluffs to the west of the anchorage showed evidence of significant coastal erosion. We later learned that updated parcel surveys revealed that as much as 107 acres were lost to erosion at one lot. While we enjoyed swimming it was a bit unsettling that the water temperature was 85 degrees F.
Monday July 22nd, we motored to Annapolis, MD. We took in the sights of the Annapolis Bay Bridge and were amazed at the number of 400 ft freighters anchored on the west side of the Bridge.
Port Annapolis Marina was located on Back Creek a short distance from the Bridge. The narrow entry left no room for error as Scott steered Kailoa into the 18-ft wide slip (our beam is 14 ft). We plan to stay in an Airbnb in old town Annapolis for the next few days to rest, escape the heat, catch up on provisioning, do laundry and boat related maintenance.
Hold Fast
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