Grabbed an outside mooring but later we moved inside to Saint Mary’s. Met a couple on a Hunter 38 who were waiting for Hurricane Florence to move on before heading home. We did a bar crawl as usual and had a nice lunch at Iron Rooster.
The parking lot near city dock was under at least a foot of water at high tide.
The next morning we dinghied farther up spa creek to visit miss Shirley’s for gluten free pancakes.
We headed out an hour after everyone else inadense fog that obscured even the bay bridge, which was sounding its eerie fog horns.
We caught up with the rest of the fleet south of Tolchester, beating back and forth for hours trying to make Fairlee. We eventually did. We made the entrance just fine but wound up going back in the dinghy to help free Gannett, who had run aground as you can easily do there. They didn’t really need our help but we led them through the approach anyway.
No bioluminescence was going on in the water so that was a disappointment. We lost two more boats the next morning as people broke off, the forecast held more rain and strong north winds and some found that discouraging. The three remaining boats turned west and a little south and we sailed for Baltimore. On the way out of fairlee a distressed Northern water thrush flew into the side of Hobo and flopped into the water. He was able to grab the dinghy as it went by and rode with us for several hours.
I missed the moment he flew away.
We sailed for a while all close together in very light air until our speed dropped to 1.5 knots and then we started the beta and motored up the patapsco.
The slip we were given was right behind the tiki hut at Henderson’s wharf and required backing in. We managed it but only because there was not another boat in the neighboring slip. I got us going backwards and the full keel just doesn’t like to answer the helm going that way so we kinda drifted diagonally across. It all worked out in the end.
We had a great evening, and one of the folks on the club actually wanted to go into the pemberton hotel that just went in on the big pier at Fells Point. It was actually really fun to visit but I definitely wouldn’t want to pay 500+ for a room.
The next morning we took a walk around town and I accidentally ate an entire almond croissant from Pitango’s and a bacon avocado crepe from Sofia’s. Oops.
We got out of there later than planned because of engine/electrical issues on another boat. We were bound for Sue Creek and we sailed as much as we could but the current and the wind were both strongly southbound so the tacks across were good but the water was full of debris including tires and a full pine tree with roots.
Ultimately we all had to drop sail and motor to make it in before dark fell. The water was much shallower than I recalled, and we all probably bumped the bottom near low tide.
The next day we sailed with two reefs in the main and a reefed job all the way to worton. It was a wild ride, going full speed through the debris and crab pots south of pooles island. No bioluminescence in worton either. We had ice cream at worton marina and a good wander around their property scoping out all the interesting things they were working on.
The next day we headed home. :(
