Sawmill Cove to Leeds Creek July 25,2011

Sawmill Cove to Leeds Creek  July 25,2011

Our overnight was a nice relief from the hot ones that we have experienced for the past week or so.  I slept really well until something woke me at about 3:00.  As I became aware, I realized that there was a tremendous amount of lightning and thunder popping all around us and our hatches were wide open.  The one above our head had the wind scoop flying above it and had it started to rain, we would have had wet heads.  I hurriedly went out onto the foredeck and took down the scoop.  It was an interesting experience to go out on the deck in all of that lightning in the pitch black dark on the rocking boat.  I didn’t tarry.  Back in bed, I lay awake for about an hour waiting for the storm to hit.  The wind was blowing from the southeast and that was the only direction from which we did not have protection of a land mass.  We seemed to have a good holding anchor.  The rains never came.  Our boat is getting filthy and a good soaker would do good things for her appearance. 

Breakfast was again eggs and bacon with a strawberry blob muffin enhanced with fresh blueberries.  V-8  and coffee provided our fluid intake.  Life is good.

We were unusually efficient in our preparations to travel this morning, we were ready to move out at 8:30.  I got the motor running.  It is a bit cantankerous when cold.  It usually runs very well for about a minute then slowly begins to die.  If you are sitting with her, you can work the throttle and keep her running.  I did all of that and she was ready for the day.  Our usual procedure when there is a bit of wind is: Janine stands by the tiller and motor as I pull the anchor rode and move the boat to just above the anchor.  When I break the anchor loose, I signal Janine to put the motor in gear and move forward as I wash the mud off of the anchor.  This morning, just as I had broken the anchor loose, the motor decided to die. I dropped the anchor back into the water and waited while Janine unsuccessfully tried to start the motor.  I went back and tried my magic also to no avail.  I check the large fuel tank and it had run dry.  I switched to the reserve tank and sure enough, she was willing to run again.  I went back to the bow and began pulling the boat back to the anchor.  Again, as I raised the anchor and signaled for forward progress, the motor died violently.  While we were switching tanks, the boat had drifted back to the Dink and her tow rope contacted the propeller and when Janine put it in gear, it wound very tightly and choked the motor.  Luckily, I could raise the motor and see the problem and would not have to work on it with the prop under water.  Luckily, it the motor only made about 2 revolutions before dying so the tangle was fairly manageable.  Back onboard Panache, Dink tied up close with all tow ropes out of the water, I went forward and pulled the boat back up to the anchor – again!  When I raised the anchor this time, Janine put the boat in gear, we began to move forward.  

We motored back across the Tred Avon River heading for Campbell’s Boat Yard for more ice, 5 gallons of fuel and an internet connection.  The folks there are really nice.  This time, the lady offered me a desk at which I could work and a muffin. 

The weather forecast for the day has a 50% chance of thunderstorms so we made haste heading north for St. Michaels.  I wanted to spend some time in their Maritime Museum and it the tributaries of the Miles River on which St. Michaels sits offer good anchorages with good storm protection.  As we headed north we were followed by a southerly breeze that was blowing at about the speed we were traveling so it offered no relief from the heat.  The Passage back through the drawbridge at Knapps Narrows was uneventful as was the trip on to the tip of Tilghman Point, place in Eastern Bay where we enter the Miles River.  As we rounded the point, the wind began to increase and since we were now heading south, it impacted our forward progress. 

The weather radio came on and provided an alert of a storm passing north of us.  I opened the radar app on my phone and noticed a huge storm that ran most of the way from Baltimore to New York City with a small tail heading for our location.  We were about an hour out from St. Michaels, the skies were getting dark and the bay was getting rough.

We made the harbor of St. Michaels, motored around to the back of the museum and dropped our anchor.  We crawled into Dink and headed for the dinghy dock at the entrance to the museum.  The time was 3:00, the museum closed at 6:00 so we had time to at least visit all of the display locations that are spread out over  about 15 acres.  I could spend a number of blog pages describing all of the things that we saw and learned.  I highly recommend a visit to this one if you are ever in the area.  By the way, about half way through our tour, it began to rain.  It felt soooooo good to get wet with unsalty water that neither of us worried about the fact that we were getting soaked. 

At 6:00 we left the museum and went to the Crab Claw restaurant which is located next to the museum on wharf.  I again had all you could eat crabs.  I really like them and I enjoy the leisurely way that you meal progresses as you eat your way through the pile of crabs.  I ate a dozen this time.  It still too over 2 hours to get through them.  Janine had a crab cake and baked potato.  She was impressed that it was all meat and little dressing. 

From the Crab Claw, we got back into Dink and took a bumpy ride back to Panache.  The wind was blowing directly into the harbor so the Dink had to claw her way through the waves.  She handled that task well.  Back on board, we pulled the anchor and headed across the Miles River into the beautiful Leeds Creek.  The homes, like we were getting use to seeing, were fabulous.  About a mile upstream, we pulled into a little cove that was highly recommended by the cruising guide as very beautiful and good protection.  This little unnamed nook is undoubtedly the most beautiful place in which we have dropped anchor with lots of loblolly pine, egrets, and other water birds.  There was another boat already located in the mouth of the cove so we motored on past and dropped our anchor about 200 feet behind him.  As we passed, the young man in the cockpit hailed us and after we dropped anchor, enjoyed a long conversation.   He and his buddy were sailing his buddy’s father’s boat for several days out of Annapolis.

We treated ourselves to a piece of apple caramel cake with slathered cream cheese icing before reading and falling asleep at about 9:30.  A cool night – should be good sleeping.