Since 1978 I have been fortunate to sail wooden boats. In 2006 I set out to find a Drascombe Longboat Cruiser for single-handed expedition sailing. This is the continuing story of how it came to be, our adventures, notes on the maritime world and other things I don't want to forget...


Monday, July 29, 2013

Get Away

The past few weeks have been challenging. We have endured illness and come through the other side. I hadn't been to the Bay recently and Ellie encouraged me to strike out. It was 'spur of the moment' but I grabbed the gear and left out early Friday. Once on the water it was all about Annie, the wind and the water.

After launching, hailing the Gwynns Island bridge tender and making way across the north shore of the island... we passed through Fishing Bay and into the Bay to round Stingray Point. The wind was only a breath so I motored toward the mouth of the Rappahannock. The 6 hp hummed in its well and the warm air started to clean away my worries.















Passing Deltaville to the south I picked up a slight northerly breeze and motor sailed toward the Hwy 3 bridge that connects Middlesex to Lancaster County across the Rappahannock. It was so high Annie passed under far from the central span. We pushed on to the boating center of Urbanna arriving in the early afternoon.






I tied up to a fuel dock and was allowed to stay at the dock for the dinner hour. Even in this peak season the small town was quiet and I took my time exploring.


















I 'supped' at an easy-going restaurant called Something Different. A crab cake (no fillers) and peach cobbler were stand outs.








Returned and cast off the dock lines and sculled across the creek to a quiet cove to anchor for the night. It was still, warm and rather humid. I guess I've gotten soft with air-conditioning lately.



The next morning the wind had shifted to the southeast and it was a perfect beam reach south retracing my track for several hours. Down the river and into the Bay... flanked by fishing boats of every description and sailboats that passed by in both directions and dotted the horizon.


















It was two great days. 44.1 nautical miles. Looking forward to more. Soon.






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