Dawn's Early Light

Did 40 miles yesterday. Point Lookout, MD to Deltaville, VA. Crossing the Potomac was a little hairy. Winds were gusting at 30 mph from the NW. The Potomac runs NW to SE, so the waves had plenty of room to build and the swells were quite large. The boat took a beating on the way out of port and into the wind, until I was clear of land and able to turn SE. Then we started surfing. I was dubious of claims on the gemini forum of speeds of 25 knots while surfing, but after yesterday, I think it might be possible. I don't think I was going that fast, but there were a few times on some really big swells, that I thought if the boat had wings instead of sails, I would be airborne. I did ten miles in just a little over an hour. The pretty picture is of the potomac crossing, and it belies the extremes of the sailing conditions. It was taken during one of the few lulls when I felt confident to pry one of my clenched fists from the helm.

I would have stayed in my anchorage, and not sailed that day, but for two reasons. One was that it was good wind, and I knew that I could make some distance. I'd like to sail, not motor, as much of this trip as possible. Secondly, I was anchored right off the state park marina and there was a police boat at the marina. I think my boat is in good condition and in compliance with all regulations, but I didn't want to chance things. I didn't know what time the park police showed up for work, but I did know that I didn't want to be around when they did. I'm sure they don't have much to do this time of year, and if they saw a catamaran sitting just yards off their pier, they might think Christmas came early this year. I did not want to spend the morning playing 20 questions with a cop.

Anyway, the Potomac crossing gave me a lot more confidence in both the boat and myself. We fared fine. I am getting my sea legs back! I turned the corner south at Virginia, and the wind and seas calmed substantially. I must have gotten complacent though, because I got farther out into the bay than I had intended when the wind direction changed. The seas became crossing and confused. It wasn't pleasant, and at that point, I decided to abandon my original goal of sailing dawn to dusk. I headed towards land. When I got near a creek, I tried to start up the engine. No luck. I took off the cowl and there was water in the engine compartment. I would have lifted the engine out of the water originally, but I wanted it in the water to help stabilize the steering. There are ropes connecting the engine to the rudders, and they move in tandem.

I decided to try to enter the creek under sail, but no luck. The creek pointed NW into the wind. And this boat will not sail into the wind. I left the cowl off, for the engine to dry and kept sailing. In the early afternoon, I reached a point where a spit of land stuck out, and I was able to get beneath it, and out of the wind and waves. I anchored and had lunch. Took the spark plugs out of the engine. I think I had also flooded it, trying to get it started. The engine dried out, started up, and I headed for a nearby anchorage. I feel like I had quite a workout yesterday. My body aches all over. But it feels good!