No doubt about it, we're back in the Chesapeke. How can we tell? The anchor chain was but a mud sausage completely encapsulated in grey, sticky ooze. Cleaning it all off slows weighing anchor but gives you more time to contemplate the beautiful surroundings--so says the Chamber of Commerce ;-)
Rounding New Point Comfort we see that the 15kt SW winds have stirred up the Chesapeake. Closely packed 3' waves break and froth all around us. It's good to be running with them. We watch and feel pity for the crews hobby horsing their way south. Several day sailors poke their noses into the Bay, think better if it, and then quickly reverse course towards their protected tributaries. Entering the Rappahannock the seas calm. While the river is wide there isn't enough fetch for the wind to stir things up.
Our destination is Urbana, VA, home of Mary Ann and Ed McChain and their Victory Tug Thistle #47. I've got a soft spot in my heart for Thistle. It was a ride aboard her eight years ago, when she was named Yellow Rose, that convinced us to buy Nellie. Mary Ann and Ed, the subjects in today's picture, are long time sailors that 18 months ago made the 'geriatric jump' to a tug. This spring they returned home from an ICW cruise to Florida; very nearly the same trip we're just completing. Naturally there's a lot in common to discuss.
While Urbana is only 18nm, as the crow flies, from our East River anchorage, it's 43nm by water--no wonder air travel is winning out... Our total is now 1535nm. DBH.
