Week 3, May 31, 2011

0500 May 31, 2011; Up with the birds and the mosquitoes!  I had to put up the mosquito netting last night and you could hear them swarm over the netting. 

Well, after two days, or maybe because I didn’t witness his potty, Chase finally went to the bathroom.  We then packed up the boat and shoved off at 0600 and made it two feet out of my slip.  The engine quit and I couldn’t get it into reverse or forward.  I drifted a few feet to another slip and Bill my slip neighbor helped tie  me off. 

Bill and his wife Lori and I sat around discussing the situation and getting phone numbers for local marina mechanics and having another coffee.  At 0700, Bill went to the back of the boat and shouted, I think I found out what your problem is!  I went back to the boat and looked at the shaft and there was anchor line wound around the prop!  I was in the water in a flash with a sharp knife and removed the rope. To my amazement, it was my rope!  I have know idea when it came off, most probably in the rough seas but I am surely blessed that it didn’t entangle the prop when I was out there in the high seas.  While in the water, I walked under the toon and inspected for any more concerns and found nothing.  The boat started up with a roar and it shifted into both gears with ease.     

I was off at 0800 into very calm waters.  However around the first point the wind picked up and I had a mild chop coming at me most of the way to Solomon Marina.  When I approached the Potomac River, the water became rougher and I traveled up the south side of the river for five miles where I turned into the waves and headed for Point Lookout five miles away.  When I made the turn you couldn’t see the other side because of the fog and haze.

Once across the Potomac the waves subsided and didn’t pick up again until I was about ten miles out from the Marina.  I was thinking about going further up the coast line but the wave action turned that idea off and I am sure glad it did.  The Solomon’s are a group of marinas located on the Patuxent River.  Once in the river, there were no more waves to contend with but the air got very hot and muggy.  I got into the Comfort Marina, at 1400, and received free dockage and the use of the pool and showers. I spent the rest of the day in total relaxation with lots of pool time for the heat index was 105 and the humidity was 98 %...

After I gas up in the morning, on my way out, I will be headed for Annapolis.