Annapolis to St. Michaels (Day 22) then to Solomon's (Day 23)

Friday, October 18th (start of 4th week)

The winds had finally blown themselves out and the Annapolis downtown mooring field was quickly emptying with boats leaving every few minutes.  Laura and I decided to head for the San Domingo Creek anchorage just south of St. Michael's for a day or two.  We had spent a week in St. Michael's a few years ago and enjoyed their Winefest from the docks at Higgins Yacht Yard plus stayed a few extra days for me to have emergency dental work (removal of a cracked tooth) and recover from a cold.  We were looking forward to going back and visiting the town again.

Winds were calm as we motored out of Annapolis Harbor and onto Chesapeake Bay.  As we turned south at Tolly Point, the winds picked up a bit from the starboard quarter so we rolled out the jib, main and mizzen rigged for a broad-reach sail.  First time we've had the mizzen up since sailing north last Spring.

Engine was off the the next 5 hours as we enjoyed our downwind sail on the bay.  Predicted winds were 15-25 for the morning and they gradually increased to that while we were sailing.  If we had 20 knot winds on the beam with our big sails up, we'd be shortening sail to keep the boat a little more comfortable.  But, with the winds behind us, the extra winds just pushed us faster.  Several times the boat speed increased to over 8 knots and stayed there until the gusts subsided.  We sometimes joke that when we hit 8 knots, "We're gonna break something!" but not today.  It was lots of fun and we made great time.

We turned east just before Sharps Island Lighthouse through a shallow channel into the Choptank River.  After pulling in the main and dropping the mizzen, we had a nice jib-sail up the river until we turned north into Broad Creek.  Now the wind angle wasn't enough for sailing so we started the engine and slowly motored through the creeks to our San Domingo Creek anchorage.  It was a lovely spot and the anchor set quickly in only 8 feet of water.

I dropped the dinghy and we motored into St. Michael's for a little walk and sightseeing.  The dinghy-dock was just a concrete wall.  The top was about 4 feet off the water which made difficult access to shore.  Laura had no problem but I seemed to do something to my knee which bothered me the rest of our walk.

We walked about 4 blocks to South Talbot Street which runs down the center of town.  After covering the whole town, we decided to check out the Blackthorn Irish Pub.  At 5pm it was pretty quiet but we enjoyed a tasty Reuben Egg Roll appetizer and a cocktail.  $40 later we decided to look at someplace else for dinner.  Another block down the street was the Ava's Pizzeria & Wine Bar.  Perfect!

Downtown St. Michaels.

The pizzas were a little different (millennial?) and it took us awhile to decide on the Meatball Breeze.  A short time later a different waitress came by with a meatball pizza and dropped it at our table.  Laura and I each had a slice and it was very good with a few different meats we hadn't remembered ordering.  About 5 minutes later, another waitress comes by asking who ordered the "Meatball Breeze".  Oops!  She dropped the second pizza at our table and left.  When our normal waitress came by we explained the problem and she said it wasn't a big deal.  She just ordered another Meat-meat-meat pizza for the table next to us.  Now we had two pizzas and they were both excellent. 

The Sun was on the horizon as we left Ava's and walked back to the dinghy.  The tide had come up a little so getting back into the dinghy wasn't so much of a problem.  It's hard to understand why towns on the water don't have a little better dinghy access.  We came into town for a few hours and spent $80.  There were 5 other dinghys tied to the wall.  Doesn't that show it would be worth a few dollars for better boater access?

Arriving back at Second Wind, we were treated to a nice sunset so I stopped the dinghy and took this beautiful picture of the boat anchored in San Domingo Creek.  We spent the rest of the evening on the boat and watched a few shows from the AT&T Watch TV app on my phone tethered to the TV.

Saturday, October 19th (Day 23)

My knee was really bothering me today as I popped ibuprofen and used an ice pack to lower the swelling.  Not sure what I did but I could barely bend it.  Since I wasn't able to go for a walk in town, we decided to head to Solomon's Island, on the western shore, to sit out the storm tomorrow.  We've been to this area several times and know there are many very protected anchorages.

Today was all motoring as the winds were calm for the first few hours then gradually picked up from the south at about 5 knots.  It was a very relaxing day as the autopilot drove the boat on a calm Chesapeake Bay and we read or worked a few minor boat projects.  After entering Back Creek, we saw 4 boats anchored where we would normally go near Anglers Bar and Grill.  So, we continued down the creek to where the deeper watered ended in a little pocket just big enough for the boat.  The water was only 8-9 feet deep so we only needed about 60 feet of anchor chain to hold the boat through the storms tomorrow.  This means our swinging room was minimal and I wasn't worried about being blown too close to shore.

We've been having a few issues with our rudder.  With the winds on the beam and the autopilot engaged, we get a loud creaking at one spot on the steering wheel.  It was loud enough to keep us awake for awhile sailing down the coast of NJ.  I guess I haven't treated it as critical because we only hear it when the engine isn't running.  Now I was getting a little worried so thought I might need to have the boat hauled and the rudder looked at.

First, I wanted to make sure the parts I could get to were good.  I spent the afternoon adjusting and greasing the autopilot chain and gears.  Then I tightened the steering cable which had been a little loose for a few years.  I've learned in the past that many of the major problems we've had on the boat were caused by my over-tightening something.  Now I don't usually have a problem with keeping things a little loose and getting to the steering cable adjustment was a real bear.  Anyway, after about an hour of tiny adjustments, the cable seemed much tighter but not over tight.  I also removed the compass from the steering pedestal and greased the gears and chain for the steering cable up top.  Now, if the rudder still has a problem, I'll know that the parts inside the boat are good and we'll haul for repairs somewhere.

We relaxed the rest of the day in the cockpit (seems we do a lot of relaxing!).  I broke out the guitar and Laura joined me to sing along.  She brought up a couple glasses of white wine and a snack which we worked on over the next hour or so.  After my fingers were too sore to keep playing, she brought up her dolcimer and practiced a bit.  Laura built this dolcimer from a kit when she was 30.  She recently decided to get a little more serious about practicing and has been getting much better.

Dinner was a grilled pork loin and I was glad to be able to grill again on the back deck after so many days of high winds.  We watch a few shows on TV then hit the sack early.  It was a calm night here but storms are predicted for tomorrow.  My knee was feeling much better after taking it easy today and several bouts of icing to reduce swelling.  Hopefully, tomorrow all better!